Pontiff pays tribute to martyrs of Pratulin
October 01, 2026
Pope Leo XIV paid tribute to the martyrs of Pratulin, 13 Eastern Catholics who were slain in Poland by Russian czarist forces in 1874.
“Thirty years ago, St. John Paul II beatified Wincenty Lewoniuk and 12 companions, all martyrs,” Pope Leo said to Polish-speaking pilgrims who were present in Rome for his September 30 general audience. “To the point of shedding their blood, they defended their membership in the Catholic Church and their unity with the Successor of St. Peter, while remaining faithful to their own Eastern tradition.”
“I entrust to their intercession the cause of unity among Christ’s disciples and the Catholics who are persecuted today for their faith,” the Pope added.
The Pope’s tribute to the martyrs was omitted from the Vatican’s English translation of his remarks.
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