The television channel wPolsce24 reported on Thursday, 29 October, that Pope Leo XIV will visit Poland in 2028. However, the date has not been officially confirmed by the Vatican, and the timing of the pilgrimage has not yet been set.
According to the available information, 2028 has been mentioned for months as the likely timing of Leo XIV’s first pilgrimage to Poland. As the Catholic portal Opoka reports, citing wPolsce24 and wpolityce.pl, the reports about the visit have so far been officially confirmed neither by the Holy See nor by the Church in Poland. The wPolsce24 statement itself was not available at the time this text was prepared.
What Is Officially Known
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on X a meeting on Wednesday, 5 August. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski spoke then with the chairman of the Polish Episcopal Conference, Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda, about preparations for the visit. As Deon describes, the Ministry stressed that the pilgrimage is meant to be a joint undertaking of the state and the Church, one that “goes beyond current divisions”.
The ministry also recalled that formal invitations were delivered to the pope by Presidents Andrzej Duda and Karol Nawrocki, Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and the Presidium of the Episcopate. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has taken over coordination on the government side. The exact date is not yet known; once it is set, an organizing team made up of representatives of both sides is to be established (report by TVN).
Why 2028 and Not 2027
Earlier, 2027 was considered, as it marks the 150th anniversary of the apparitions in Gietrzwałd. According to Opoka, the obstacle is the political calendar: parliamentary elections will be held in Poland in 2027, and the Holy See tends to avoid trips to countries during election periods. Media reports indicate that after a meeting with the pope in May, Prime Minister Tusk said Leo XIV had accepted the invitation “with joy” and that the visit could take place in 2028, though the date remains to be set.
The Archdiocese of Warmia has announced celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the apparitions from June 2027 to spring 2028. Leo XIV has been invited to conclude them. However, the Church in Warmia is tempering expectations: the Vatican has confirmed neither the visit itself nor a stop in Gietrzwałd. There is also no programme or list of cities.
This would be the first papal pilgrimage to Poland since 2016, when Pope Francis came to Kraków for World Youth Day.
What This Means
For now there is no date, itinerary or registration, so plans to travel to Poland, book accommodation or join pilgrimages for the event are premature. Concrete information will only appear after the Holy See announces the date and the organizing team is appointed. The visit also depends on the pope’s health: in October he underwent a procedure at the Gemelli clinic, as we reported in our article about his return to the Vatican. However, the Vatican did not link the surgery to travel plans.
