President Karol Nawrocki took part today in a Holy Mass at the Church of St. Stanislaus Kostka in Warsaw’s Żoliborz district. It was in this church that Fr. Jerzy Popiełuszko served, and it is there – within the parish grounds – that his grave is located.
Fr. Jerzy Popiełuszko was beatified on June 6, 2010. Since that day, the Church of St. Stanislaus Kostka has been designated as the diocesan Sanctuary of Blessed Father Jerzy Popiełuszko. All anniversaries related to the Blessed are commemorated there. One of the chapels in the church contains items connected to the martyrdom of Fr. Jerzy Popiełuszko.
President Karol Nawrocki, in addition to laying flowers at the priest’s grave, also signed the guest book of the Centre for the Documentation of the Life and Cult of Blessed Jerzy Popiełuszko. The Centre was established in 2010, after Fr. Jerzy’s beatification, in his former apartment. It was from this apartment, on October 19, 1984, that Fr. Jerzy left for the last time to attend a religious celebration in Bydgoszcz; he was kidnapped and subsequently murdered by officers of the Security Service (SB) – reads the statement on the website prezydent.pl.
Earlier, the Polish leader posted on X:
To live in truth, to live for truth, and to die for truth – these are the three most difficult paths. Fr. Jerzy Popiełuszko, chaplain of Solidarity, a steadfast priest, walked them all. He did not fear the communist dictatorship and did not retreat in the hour of trial. Today, standing over his grave, one can only bow one’s head and say – thank you for your sacrifice, for without it our freedom would not exist – the post reads.
The presidential website also features a photo gallery from today’s event. We present several of these photos below. They were taken by Marek Borawski.
