Polish bishops urge country’s Catholics to pray for nation

Polish bishops are urging a million Catholics to pray along the nation’s 2,000-mile border next week.

The Rosary Prayer Around Poland is an annual event where Catholics pray for their nation. 

It began after Catholic victory over the Ottomans in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, which ‘saved Europe from Islamisation,’ according to the prayer’s organisers.

Faithful cheer Pope Francis in front of the Jasna Gora shrine in Czestochowa, Poland

Organisers wrote on their website: ‘Rosary is a powerful weapon in the fight against evil, so strong that it has not been able to change the course of history many times, and thousands of testimonies and documented miracles prove its extraordinary effectiveness.

‘We believe that if the rosary is prayed by about a million Poles along the borders of the country, it may not only change the course of events, but open hearts of our compatriots to the grace of God.

‘Powerful prayer of the Rosary can affect the fate of Poland, Europe, and even the whole world. Suffice it to say that Mary always directs the request for frequent prayer of the rosary, in almost every revelation.

‘We invite everyone to the great prayer ‘To the Border’ of Poland, prayer to the limits of our possibilities, our fears, our desires. Beyond the limits of comfort, everyday life and our habits.’

The Polish bishops’ conference has asked all Catholics to join the rosary prayer on 7 October even if they can’t to make it to the border.

‘Families may pray in their homes, sick in hospitals, and parish communities in their churches,’ they said.      

Pope Francis waves from the Archbishops’ Palace in Krakow, Poland

Pilgrims and faithful wait for Pope Francis before a mass in Czestochowa