May God, the Good Shepherd, grant Pope Leo XIV the necessary graces to lead God's Church – wrote the President of the Polish Bishops’ Conference Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda SAC in his congratulations following the election of Pope Leo XIV. On 8 May 2025, Cardinal Robert Prevost OSA was elected the 267th Pope.
https://episkopat.pl/doc/228608.Przewodniczacy-KEP-pogratulowal-Ojcu-Swietemu-Leonowi-XIV
https://episkopat.pl/doc/228657.Il-Presidente-della-Conferenza-Episcopale-Polacca-si
We publish the full text of the congratulations:
"You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven". With these words, our Saviour Jesus Christ addresses Peter the Apostle, establishing him as Head of the Church. Today, I address these words to the newly elected Holy Father Leo XIV, who until recently bore the name Robert Prevost OSA. The whole Universal Church has been awaiting the election of the Successor of St Peter, and today great joy is shared by the Universal Church and the Church in Poland, which has been praying fervently for the election of the new Bishop of Rome.
In the name of the whole Church in our homeland and of the Polish Bishops' Conference, I offer the Holy Father expressions of respect and filial devotion. The Church in Poland has always faithfully stood by the Successor of St Peter and has surrounded every Holy Father with special honour, love and trust. With filial love, we wish that Holy Father Leo XIV may lead God's fold, faithfully upholding the Apostolic Faith.
I ask that in the coming days, and especially this Sunday, in churches throughout Poland, prayers will be offered for the Holy Father Leo XIV. May God, the Good Shepherd, grant him the necessary graces to lead the Church of God. May Mary, Mother of the Church, intercede for the beloved Holy Father's strength and power to face the Petrine ministry in today's world.
+ Tadeusz Wojda SAC
Metropolitan Archbishop of Gdansk
President of the Polish Bishops' Conference