On 8 October 2025, a ceremony was held in Rome to mark the opening of an exhibition dedicated to the fate of the Catherine Sisters, who were killed by Red Army soldiers in 1945. In 2020, during exhumation works carried out by the IPN Search and Identification Office the remains of seven sisters were found.

When we look at those who sacrificed their lives under the rule of two totalitarian regimes, we see that the clergy – priests and nuns – were very often the victims of the Germans and the Soviets. As the Institute of National Remembrance, we carry out our duty to remember them and their deeds. We commemorate them through publications and exhibitions. We remind Poland and the whole world of the great sacrifice these people made. This is also the case with the Sisters of the Congregation of St. Catherine – noted Mateusz Szpytma Ph.D., Deputy President of the Institute of National Remembrance.

Deputy President Szpytma further recalled that for many years, the Institute of National Remembrance has been restoring the memory of the victims of Soviet terror – those who “overcame evil with good.” This message remains extremely relevant today, at a time when history is sometimes called into question and crimes are explained away with ideology. The exhibition in Rome is part of the IPN's mission to preserve the truth and restore dignity to those whose only “crime” was their loyalty to values and love for their homeland.

The ceremony was attended by the Polish Ambassador to the Holy See, Adam Kwiatkowski, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Warmia, Józef Górzyński, the Director of the Gdańsk branch of the IPN Marek Szymaniak Ph.D., and Sister Angela Krupińska CSC, the author of the exhibition. Archbishop Górzyński expressed his gratitude to the Institute, emphasizing the professionalism, commitment, and comprehensiveness of the IPN's activities.

The work of the Institute of National Remembrance is invaluable. I would like to thank the IPN for everything it has done and emphasize that what characterizes the Institute is the fact that its input did not end with the exhumation works. It continues through publications and meetings, such as today's. This is extremely important not only in terms of our national identity, but also our religious identity, said the Archbishop.

The exhibition prepared by the Gdańsk branch of the IPN consists of 12 boards presenting archival photographs, maps, witness testimonies, and moving graphics by Sister Maria Karolina Gawryś. The stories documented the brutal persecution, rape, deportations, and murders of the nuns. The last part of the exhibition is devoted to the work of the IPN's Office of Search and Identification, which, among others, led to the unearthing of the remains of the murdered sisters. The exhibition was created by Sister Angela Krupińska CSC, in cooperation with IPN employees Krzysztof Drażba, Anna Dymek, and Jan Kołakowski.

During the war, over 100 Sisters of the Order of St. Catherine lost their lives. Many died as a result of beatings and abuse by Red Army soldiers, or from typhus or dysentery contracted while caring for the sick, or from exhaustion and starvation. This group of Catherine Sisters includes fifteen Martyrs and one Servant of God. Their deaths took place between 22 January  and 25 November 1945.

Sister Maria Krzysztofa Klomfass and fourteen companions from the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Catherine, victims of the Red Army, gave their lives in 1945, defending the inhabitants of Warmia and Mazury , their faith and vowed chastity. They suffered martyr's deaths, remaining with the faithful, who were terrified and helpless in the face of the approaching Red Army soldiers who went on a rampage and started to rape, pillage and murder.

Their deeds - heroic fidelity to God, their neighbors, and their religious vows were confirmed by Pope Francis, who on 14 March 2024, approved the decree on their martyrdom.

On 9-10 October 2025, the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome is hosting an international academic conference entitled:“The Beatification of the Martyrs of World War II: Sister Krzysztofa Klomfass and her Fourteen Companions. Historical, Legal, and Theological Perspectives.”The event is dedicated to a multidisciplinary reflection on the lives, martyrdom, and beatification process of fourteen sisters from the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Catherine, Virgin and Martyr, who were murdered in 1945 by soldiers of the Red Army.

On the first day of the conference, during the panel discussion “Testimony, Memory, and Discernment – From History to Beatification,” one of the speakers was Ms. Anna Dymek, a representative of the IPN Office of Search and Identification in Gdańsk. The Office conducted the exhumation of the remains of the Sisters of St. Catherine, an effort of vital importance for both historical documentation and the beatification proceedings.

In the final session of the conference, Mateusz Szpytma, the Deputy President of the Institute of National Remembrance, is scheduled to deliver an address.

As part of the final session of the conference, IPN Deputy President Mateusz Szpytma took the floor and emphasized:

“We did not hesitate when the Sisters of St. Catherine approached us for assistance. As an institution committed to the search for and commemoration of the victims of brutal totalitarian regimes, it was only natural for us to undertake this task.”