Pope Leo XIV greets Polish midwives and young people from Nazareth at general audience

Pope Leo XIV received a group of about 70 Polish midwives at his general audience on September 16. They had traveled from Łódź to honor Servant of God Stanisława Leszczyńska, a central figure in midwifery during the Second World War. Among them was Ewa Machaj-Antosiewicz, who was born in the Auschwitz concentration camp in 1944 thanks to Leszczyńska's intervention. Leszczyńska delivered close to 3,000 babies in conditions of extreme cruelty.

Machaj-Antosiewicz told the pope that it was the midwife herself who chose her name, and that Leszczyńska refused to obey the orders of Dr. Josef Mengele, known as the "Angel of Death." "You cannot kill a child," she replied when ordered to kill every newborn in the camp. Mariola Sienkiewicz, who led the group, called the visit to Rome an "unforgettable gift" and a spur to continue their pro-life work. Bishop Krzysztof Józef Nykiel, regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary and postulator of Leszczyńska's canonization cause, joined the midwives on the pilgrimage.

Young people from the Holy Land

At the same audience, the pope met a group of young people from the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, who draw inspiration from the example of St. Francis. Randia Rashed, one of them, said the pope's closeness encourages them to carry a message of peace in the place where Jesus spent his early years. Rashed said she hoped to sow "seeds of hope for a future of peace among all the peoples of the Holy Land."

Diab Roshrosh, the Franciscan friar in charge of youth ministry at the parish, spoke about the group's meeting with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin. Parolin encouraged the young people to remain in their land and to be witnesses of a human identity rooted in the values of St. Francis. The pilgrimage will continue to Assisi, where the group will visit the tomb of St. Francis.

Disability and solidarity

Dalia Freyfer, a blind singer from Lebanon, also spoke. She coordinates the Office for the Pastoral Care of Persons with Disabilities of the Maronite Patriarchate of Antioch and has lived through the consequences of the war in her country. Freyfer gave the pope a sign reading: "I lost my sight, Jesus is my light." Her presence before the pope reflected her commitment as an "ambassador of hope" for people living with a disability.

The last to speak was Rino Armeni, president of Zo's Braveheart Foundation, which supports families of children with leukemia in Las Vegas. The pope greeted three of the 20 children who were able to travel from the United States.