The Female Christian and Citizen of the World

Abstract

The paper is an essay written on the basis of the book Przeznaczenie nie omija Warszawy [Destiny does not Pass by Warsaw]. Its author, Luciana Frassati-Gawrońska, born in 1902, the sister of bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-25), the wife of the Polish diplomat Jan Gawroński (1892-1983), gave her abilities, courage and dedication to the Polish case during the Second World War. Although nobody commanded it, from September 1939 to December 1942, she visited the occupied Poland seven times. She contacted the representatives of the underground organisations and made many efforts to bring risky actions to a successful end. Among her actions we have to list: the release of a hundred people from the Gestapo, the transport of Gen. Władysław Sikorski's wife and daughter to the West, secret films, messages, notes, and the Warsaw telephone directory.

She reported on those visits to Pope Pius XI as a spokeswoman of the Polish Church, and also during her six meetings with Benito Mussolini, as it was in the name of the Polish nation.