From September 21 to 26, in the city of Izmir, ancient Smyrna, a priests' retreat is taking place with the participation of 24 priests from Poland. These retreats are organized by the Pontifical Mission Societies on the occasion of the 110th anniversary of the founding of the Pontifical Missionary Union. Every year, a group of priests sets out on a pilgrimage and retreat journey to a different country. We began our retreats 10 years ago in Ducenta near Naples, where Blessed Paolo Manna founded the Pontifical Missionary Union. We have been to Lebanon, Malta, Greece, Rome, Georgia, Lyon, and many places associated with the path of the Apostles and the journey of St. Paul.
This year, it's Turkey. We want to focus on the topic of love for the Church, because Turkey is called the "Holy Land of the Church". Just as Palestine is the place where Christ lived and established the Church, the present territory of Turkey is a biblical land, the land of the birth of the Church. We are touching upon the topic of the Churches of the Apocalypse, and we are also focusing on the lives of Catholics here in this part of the world.
The retreat is being led by Fr. Dariusz Białkowski, pastor of the cathedral in Izmir, a priest from the Diocese of Bydgoszcz. Joining us in the group are diocesan directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies, missionaries from the Society of African Missions—our friends—and priests working at the National Direction of the Pontifical Mission Societies. The Bishop of Płock, Bishop Szymon Stułkowski, is also with us.
Above all, through this retreat, we want to renew within ourselves our love for the Church, our love for Mary, and for St. John, as these are the main figures we will be learning about. Smyrna, Laodicea, Ephesus—these are the places we will visit and where we will pray. But we also want to immerse ourselves in the atmosphere of the Middle East and learn about the situation of the Christians living here. We are experiencing great grace from the Lord God, as we realize that God acts through different histories and through different people. Here, we hear more and more often that the Church and Catholicism in Turkey are being reborn, which is why we want to pray together with this Church. Through our meeting with the Archbishop of Izmir, Archbishop Martin, we also want to understand the characteristics and challenges of this Church. For us, as members of the Pontifical Missionary Union, this is particularly important because the Pontifical Missionary Union is called to constantly form for mission, to remain in a constant desire for mission, and readiness for mission.
