Inauguration of the academic year at the Universities of Kraków and Lublin
From 15 to 18 October 2026, Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, made a visit to Poland, accompanied by Msgr. Piotr Bajor, official for the Eastern European countries.
The program began on the afternoon of Thursday, 15 October, with a visit to the birthplace of John Paul II in Wadowice. Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça then addressed the rectors of Polish universities (KRUP), in the presence of Msgr. Robert Tyrała, Rector of the University of Kraków, and Msgr. Tomasz Rozkrut, Vice-Rector. This was followed by a concert for the inauguration of the Campus in the Great Hall named after Saint Hedwig (Queen Jadwiga), with Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś, Archbishop of Kraków, in attendance.
The next day, after a solemn Mass presided over by the Cardinal Prefect, with a homily by Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś, the academic year of the Pontifical University of John Paul II in Kraków (UPJPII) was inaugurated, together with the blessing of the new Kampus Uniwersytetu Jana Pawła II by Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça. The day concluded with a concert by the Kraków Philharmonic for the anniversary of the election of John Paul II.
On Saturday, 17 October, the delegation travelled to Lublin, where one of the key moments was the visit to the Study Center of the Catholic University at Lublin Prison, to meet a group of inmate-students. The Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education addressed a brief greeting to them, in the presence of Rev. Prof. Mirosław Kalinowski, Rector of the Catholic University. Visits to the University Campus and the Historic Centre followed, in the presence of Stanisław Budzik, Metropolitan Archbishop of Lublin and Grand Chancellor of the Catholic University of Lublin.
Finally, on Sunday, 18 October, a solemn Mass of inauguration was celebrated in Latin, with a homily by the Cardinal Prefect, who then inaugurated the 2026/2027 Academic Year of the Catholic University of Lublin.
