The president of the Polish bishops’ conference wrote a letter to thank Pope Francis for his visit and his words last week during his five-day trip to Poland for World Youth Day.
Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki emphasized that having the Successor of Peter in Poland as it marked the 1,050th anniversary of its «baptism,» was a «special sign of unity, love and devotion.»
He also thanked Francis for the «endearing simplicity and goodness that radiated from the person of Your Holiness in our midst.»
Here is the text:
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Beloved Holy Father,
As President of the Polish Bishops’ Conference, I would like to heartily thank Your Holiness for the pilgrimage to our Homeland on the occasion of the World Youth Day.
The past days have been an unforgettable celebration of youth and faith, a celebration that revealed a common spirit, which embraces not only Poles but all people who see in the Gospel of Christ a lasting and solid foundation of peace and security for all the nations that perceive in God’s merciful love the hope for the world.
Thank you for your comforting, loving and warm words addressed not only to the young people gathered in Krakow, but to all the faithful and the pastors of the Church in Poland. The presence of the Successor of Peter in our homeland, during the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy and in the year of the 1050th Anniversary of Poland’s Baptism is, for us, a special sign of unity, love and devotion.
We are grateful to you, Holy Father, for the endearing simplicity and goodness that radiated from the person of Your Holiness in our midst. This goodness is indeed a reflection of the love that you, Your Holiness, have dedicated to your entire life and ministry.
In the spirit of gratitude for the World Youth Day, the 1050th Anniversary of Poland’s Baptism, and the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, we want to reach, in October, the apostolic thresholds with the national pilgrimage, and thus express to Your Holiness our gratitude, loyalty and filial piety.
Assuring you of our filial devotion, I ask for your blessing and prayer for myself and for the Church in Poland.
+ Stanisław Gądecki
Metropolitan Archbishop of Poznan
President of the Polish Bishops’ Conference
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Photos of the World Youth Day and Pope Francis’ visit in Poland can be viewed or downloaded (for any use) free of charge from Flickr of the Polish Bishops’ Conference: http://bit.do/krakow2016
Please indicate only the source: fot. Mazur/episkopat.pl
