(ANS – Krakow) – At the conclusion of the Eucharistic celebration during which Fr. Jan Świerc and his eight fellow Salesian martyrs were beatified, the President of the Republic of Poland, Hon. Karol Nawrocki, addressed those present. In a lengthy and heartfelt speech, he expressed profound appreciation for the Salesian contribution to Polish national life.

“There are not enough words to express the richness of their lives, their sacrifice, their courage, and their willingness to defend their values—the nine Salesians beatified today,” he said.

“I have asked myself questions, and I now address them publicly, especially to those who doubt whether Poland should take Christian values into account. If anyone still has doubts, they should read the biographies of the nine Salesians beatified today and understand what Christian values mean: love, mercy, service to one’s neighbor, and readiness to make the greatest sacrifices in the face of the devastation of World War II and the two totalitarian systems of German Nazism and Soviet communism,” he emphasized.

He went on to describe the newly beatified as bearers of good for the entire nation, especially for Polish youth:

“The good that originated in Turin through St. John Bosco, centered on three pillars—reason, religion, and loving kindness in education—reached the Polish-Lithuanian territories at the end of the 19th century, when the Republic of Poland did not yet exist. Four of the nine Salesians were born in the 19th century, and all nine were not yet living in a free and independent Poland at the time of their birth. Yet while serving and thinking of God, they brought great good to a free Poland here on earth.”

He described the martyrs as extraordinary individuals “even in purely human terms,” noting that among them were doctors of philosophy, men of great culture and literary achievement, and polyglots—individuals whom Poland needed in order to do good not only within the country but throughout the world. “For this reason, as President of the Republic of Poland, I am deeply grateful to these martyrs for having brought so much good to our homeland while keeping God at the center of their lives.”

Addressing the Salesian Family, he added:

“I wish to thank the Salesians for that sensitivity which has so often safeguarded our Republic, which gave us an unyielding Primate—Cardinal August Hlond—who, in the face of two totalitarian systems, became not only the head of the Catholic Church in Poland but also a source of hope for a suffering nation.

This same sensitivity gave us the greatest figure of the 20th century, Pope John Paul II, whom we heard about during today’s liturgy, and who often recalled being formed for six years in the Salesian spirit, for example at the Church of St. Stanislaus Kostka in Krakow, where one of today’s blesseds, Fr. Jan Świerc, also served briefly as parish priest.

This Salesian spirit has given our homeland great saints and great historical figures. For this reason, dear Rector Major, dear Salesians, dear priests, from the bottom of my heart I thank you as President of Poland. I also thank you for the fact that this spirit is present today in the Presidential Palace through the ministry of chaplain Prof. Jarosław Wąsowicz, SDB. God bless you.”

Turning to the many young people gathered at the shrine, the President recalled the life witness of one of the newly beatified, Karol Golda, born in Tychy, a polyglot who spoke four languages and was killed in the Auschwitz concentration camp after hearing the confession of a German SS officer.

His motto, the President said, was simple yet profound: “I must strive upward; I must look to the sky, I must look toward God.” These words, he added, express a deep faith reminding all that earthly life is fleeting—whether president or cardinal, all are here only for a moment. Daily struggles, suffering, and burdens pass away when, like Karol Golda, one lifts one’s gaze to heaven.

The President continued:

“As a historian, I also want to say that Fr. Karol Golda’s words were a kind of vaccine in those times—a defense against two totalitarian systems that, though different in appearance, were united in their hostility to faith, religion, and God. Both Soviet communism and German National Socialism sought to destroy what is most beautiful in the world: the foundations of Christian values and faith.

In this context, the upward gaze and heavenly aspiration of all nine new blesseds give this event extraordinary strength—the strength to confront totalitarian systems and ultimately overcome them, a victory in which we are honored to participate today.”

In conclusion, the President stated:

“We will pray, invoking the intercession of the nine blesseds for the good of Poland, Europe, and the world. We ask them to guide us, and we thank them for having overcome, before our very eyes, the system of German Nazism through their faith, hope, love, mercy, and fidelity to Christian values. They remain with us today and will continue to do so. May God bless Poland.”