Pope Leo attributes Poland’s 1920 victory over Soviet Union to Virgin Mary’s intercession
August 13, 2026
Pope Leo XIV recalled the Battle of Warsaw (1920), also known as the Miracle on the Vistula, and attributed Poland’s victory over the Soviet Union there to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
“August is a month full of important anniversaries for you,” Pope Leo said to Polish-speaking pilgrims at his August 12 general audience. “Through Mary’s intercession, on August 15, 1920, victory was achieved in the Battle of Warsaw, which changed the course of the history of Poland and Europe.”
The Pope also recalled that “on the eve of the Assumption, we celebrate the liturgical memorial of St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe, who offered his life for a fellow prisoner in the German Nazi camp of Auschwitz. May the memory of these events guide us on the path of peace indicated by the Immaculate Conception.”
The Vatican omitted the Pontiff’s words from its English translation of his remarks.
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