Pope Leo XIV urges young people not to fear making courageous decisions

At his general audience, Pope Leo XIV greeted participants in a pilgrimage that followed the route of St. Stanislaus Kostka from Vienna to Rome, and asked Poles to keep praying for young people. The greeting was part of the commemoration of the 300th anniversary of the saint's canonization, which was marked on September 15.

"I cordially greet the Poles, in particular the pilgrims and seminarians of the Diocese of Płock, together with their bishop, who have walked the route of St. Stanislaus Kostka from Vienna through Dyliga to Rome," the pope said. He asked that, through the intercession of these patron saints, young people not be afraid to make courageous decisions in their lives and to serve God and their neighbor. "I bless you all!" he added.

A relay pilgrimage

Several Polish bishops were present, among them Bishop Szymon Stułkowski of Płock and Auxiliary Bishop Adam Bab of Lublin, who organized the initiative. The pilgrimage was held for the 300th anniversary of the canonization of St. Stanislaus Kostka and took the form of a relay, with 160 participants in all. The first leg, from Vienna to Linz, set out on July 3.

Stułkowski, who launched the project, said: "We wanted to remind the world and Europe of St. Stanislaus." He said the route crossed Austria, Germany and Italy.

Polish groups at the audience

The audience also drew a number of Polish groups. They included families from the Light-Life Movement in Gdańsk, who were celebrating a third-degree Oasis in Rome, pilgrims from various parishes and groups, and nurses and midwives marking the 130th anniversary of the birth of the late Stanisława Leszczyńska.

Also present were clergy and superiors of the Major Seminary of Płock, pilgrims from the parish of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Polskiej Cerekwi and members of the MISERICORDIA choir of Tylmanowa, among other groups. The organizers said the presence of clergy, seminarians, pilgrims and choir members reflected how deeply rooted Poles are in their faith and in the figure of St. Stanislaus Kostka.

Stułkowski is already working on another edition of the pilgrimage next year, which could again begin in early July and finish in September, with the route slightly revised. As a permanent sign of the pilgrimage, the saint's relics were given to the Catholic Youth Association of Poland. Bab, the bishops' conference delegate for the association, received them from Cardinal Gianfranco Ghirlanda. The closing event was a Mass of thanksgiving at 10 a.m. at the church of Sant'Andrea al Quirinale in Rome, presided over by Ghirlanda, with Stułkowski and Bab among the concelebrants.