Andrzej Pochoobut Met With The Pope At The Vatican

A former political prisoner asked the pontiff to bless Belarus.

Former political prisoner Andrzej Pochoebut met with Pope Leo XIV. The meeting took place on September 2 at the Vatican following a general audience, according to PAP.

During the meeting, Pochoebut asked the Pope to bless Belarus, his family, and the Union of Poles in Belarus. He also presented the pontiff with a copy of the icon of Our Lady of Congregation, which arrived in Grodno from the Apostolic See several centuries ago and has become one of the symbols of Polish Catholicism. Pochoebut asked for a blessing on this icon so that it could later return to Grodno and remain with the Union of Poles in Belarus.

Andrzej Pochobut noted that for a Catholic, a meeting with the Pope is a special event. According to him, the past few months had been very intense, and before returning to Belarus, he felt a growing sense of inner tension. Now, after speaking with the pontiff, he feels much calmer.

Speaking about the situation of Poles in Belarus, Poczobut noted that it remains difficult. Since his release, he has had many conversations with representatives of the Union of Poles and now understands the situation much better. According to him, it will soon become clear what the situation actually is.

Recalling his years in prison, Pochoebut said that Christmas and Easter behind bars were not much different from other days. Once, in a cell designed for 12 people, there was only one other Catholic with him; the rest were Orthodox. Despite this, he gathered everyone around the table and shared the Christmas wafer with them. On one occasion, a Christmas wafer passed to him from another prison block by a Polish inmate nearly became a true miracle.

Pochoebut learned of Pope Francis’s death much later, as he was already being held in strict solitary confinement at that time. He heard about the election of Leo XIV on Belarusian state radio, which was sometimes played in the prison.

Pochobut is currently working on a book about his life experiences. He admits that he wants to recount in detail the story of his five years in captivity, since even the longest interview does not allow him to convey everything he has been through. According to him, he hopes to bring this story to a close in the book and thereby close this chapter of his life.

Pochobut also admitted that his years in prison have left him with psychological scars. However, he says he is coping with them.

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