On April 30, 2026, in Rome, Dr Karol Polejowski, the Deputy President of the IPN, signed a cooperation agreement with Rev. Prof. Marek Lewis SJ, Rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University, and Rev. Prof. Marek Inglot SJ, President of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences. The agreement concerns the organisation of an international academic conference at the Gregorian University. The Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to the Vatican, Adam Kwiatkowski, also took part in this event.
Thanks to the cooperation of the three institutions, an international academic conference titled “The Holy See and Totalitarian Systems in the 20th Century. New Approaches and Research Perspectives” will take place in Rome on October 28–29, 2026. The event will gather researchers from around the world to discuss issues related to Church history, theology, and contemporary social challenges.
During the visit to the Vatican, the IPN Deputy Head Karol Polejowski and the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to the Holy See, Adam Kwiatkowski, attended Holy Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica. Following the service, flowers were laid at the tomb of Saint John Paul II.
The IPN delegation also visited Vatican Radio, where meetings were held with the Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication, Dr Paolo Ruffini, and the Program Director of Vatican News, Andrea Tornielli.
The delegation also met with Anna Smolińska, Director of the Saturday School of Polish Culture and Language in Lago Patria and President of the “Institute for Polonia” Association, as well as Fr. Tomasz Jarosz, administrator of the Church and Hospice of St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr in Rome.
Discussions, attended by IPN representatives including Dr Sebastian Pilarski, Dr Mateusz Marek, and Fr. Dr Adam Szpotański, focused on supporting the Polish diaspora in Italy and further developing international institutional cooperation.