Polish president pays respects in Doylestown

A Catholic shrine in Bucks County received Poland's president Sunday for a solemn Mass and dedication of a marker recognizing the oppression of political dissidents during the nation's Communist rule.

Andrzej Duda, who was elected in 2015, attended a 12:30 p.m. Mass at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown. During his visit, a ceremony was held at a marker in the shrine's graveyard commemorating the "victims and martyrs of Communism," said Deborah Majka, honorary consul of Poland in Philadelphia.

People held up red-and-white Polish flags during the service and used their cellphones to snap pictures. Duda and his wife, Agata Kornhauser-Duda, were presented with a bouquet of red flowers at the Mass.

Poland was governed by a Communist regime under the Soviet Union's sphere of influence from 1945 until 1989. During that period, opponents of the state, such as those involved in the Solidarity labor movement, often were imprisoned and, in some cases, killed.

Although other Polish presidents have visited the United States, Duda is the first to pay respects at the Bucks County religious center, Majka said.

The shrine, atop a hill in Doylestown, was dedicated in 1955 and now includes a church, chapels, cemeteries, and statues. It was named after a shrine to the Virgin Mary in Czestochowa, Poland, that is considered the spiritual center of that country.

Duda is in the United States this week for the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly, which began on Tuesday in New York City, and will continue through the coming week.

jlaughlin@phillynews.com   @jasmlaughlin

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