Polish-born pope remembered on Papal Day

A host of events were held in Poland on Sunday as Roman Catholics remembered John Paul II, the late Polish-born pope who headed the Roman Catholic Church from 1978 to 2005.

Pope John Paul II, pictured in 1984.

Quirinale.it, Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons

Sunday marked Papal Day, an annual celebration that focuses on remembering and exploring the teachings of John Paul II, who was declared a saint less than a decade after his death.

This year’s Papal Day was observed in Poland for the 26th time under the motto "St. John Paul II: A Disciple and Missionary," according to the press office of the Polish Bishops' Conference, the central authority of the Catholic Church in Poland.

“St. John Paul II: A Disciple and Missionary” - under this theme, the 26th Pope's Day is today celebrated throughout Poland and Polish communities around the world. https://t.co/grtPa0YaWA

— Church in Poland (@ChurchInPoland) October 11, 2026

Events included religious services at churches nationwide, community meetings and concerts, according to the Warsaw-based Dzieło Nowego Tysiąclecia (Work of the New Millennium) Foundation, which organised the celebrations.

Papal Day is celebrated every year on the Sunday preceding the date Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyła was elected to the papacy and became Pope John Paul II.

A 1978 photograph of Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyła during his first official public appearance as Pope John Paul II. Photo: PAP/EPA/MASSIMO CAPODANNO

John Paul II served as pope from October 16, 1978 until his death on April 2, 2005.

He was the third longest-serving pontiff in history and was declared a saint in 2014.

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Source: IAR, dzielo.pl