Our Lady of Czestochowa is widely known as one of the most popular devotions in Poland, and her shrine is a spiritual center for Polish Catholicism.
St. John Paul II promoted to devotion to her, both in Poland and abroad, but he wasn’t the only pope who was attracted to Jasna Gora, the monastery where her image is enshrined.
Five popes in the last century were devoted to her, as St. John Paul II revealed in his homily at Jasna Gora on June 4, 1979.
1
Pope Pius XI
Elected pope in 1922, St. John Paul II said, “Several times Pope Pius XI came here, naturally not as Pope but as Achille Ratti, the first Nuncio in Poland after the recovery of independence.”
2
Pope John XXIII
Most well-known for his role in inaugurating the Second Vatican Council, “when Pope John XXIII was elected to the Chair of Peter, the first words of the new Pontiff to the Primate of Poland after the Conclave were a reference to Jasna Gora. He recalled his visits here during his years as Apostolic Delegate in Bulgaria and he asked above all for unceasing prayer to the Mother of God for the intentions involved in his new mission. His request was satisfied every day at Jasna Gora, not only during his pontificate but also during those of his Successors.”
3
Pope Paul VI
According to St. John Paul II, “Pope Paul VI wanted to come here in pilgrimage. He was so closely connected with Poland from the time of his first diplomatic appointment in the Warsaw Nunciature. He was the Pope that did so much for the normalization of the life of the Church in Poland, particularly with regard to the present arrangement of the territories in the west and the north. He was the Pope of our Millennium. It was for the Millennium that he wanted to be here as a pilgrim together with the sons and daughters of the Polish Nation.”
4
Pope John Paul I
While there is little written about Pope John Paul I, “After the Lord called Pope Paul VI to himself on the solemnity of the Transfiguration last year, the Cardinals chose his Successor on August 26, the day on which Poland, and especially Jasna Gora, celebrates the solemnity of Our Lady of Czestochowa. The news of the election of the new Pope, John Paul I, was communicated to the faithful by the Bishop of Czestochowa in the course of the evening celebration.”
5
Pope John Paul II
Not surprisingly, the only Polish pope in history had a special devotion to Our Lady of Czestochowa:
What must I say, I, John Paul II, the first Polish Pope in the history of the Church? I will tell you: on that October 16, the day on which the liturgical calendar of the Church in Poland recalls St. Hedwig, I went back in thought to August 26, to the preceding Conclave and the election that took place on the Solemnity of Our Lady of Jasna Gora.
I had no need even to say, as my Predecessors said, that I was going to count on the prayers offered at the foot of the image of Jasna Gora. The call of a son of the Polish nation to the Chair of Peter involves an evident strong connection with this holy place, with this shrine of great hope: so many times I had whispered Totus tuus in prayer before this image.
And today we celebrate...