Pope pays tribute to Blessed Elżbieta Róża Czacka, ‘blind mother of the blind’
October 29, 2026
Pope Leo XIV paid tribute to Blessed Elżbieta Róża Czacka (1876-1961), a century and a half after the religious sister’s birth.
At the conclusion of his October 28 general audience, the Pontiff said to Polish-speaking pilgrims:
You are celebrating the Year of Blessed Elżbieta Róża Czacka, who courageously accepted her disability and became the “blind mother of the blind,” carrying out numerous works.
May the religious congregation she founded, which makes reparation to God for the spiritual blindness of the world, strengthen our witness, so that many people may see God’s salvation. Praised be Jesus Christ!
The Pontiff’s tribute to the foundress of the Franciscan Sisters Servants of the Cross was omitted from the Vatican’s English translation of his remarks.
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