Polish Nun, Cardinal Who Defied Communism Are Beatified

WARSAW, POLAND - Poland's top political leaders on Sunday attended the beatification of two revered figures of the Catholic Church — a cardinal who led the Polish church's resistance to communism and a blind nun who devoted her life to helping others who couldn't see.

Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski and Mother Elzbieta Roza Czacka took a step toward sainthood at a time of declining church attendance and as some Poles have left the church over sex abuse scandals and the church's coziness with the current right-wing government. In a time of growing secularization and societal divisions, the celebration was a reminder of the moral authority and the unifying power the church once held over Poland. The Mass was led by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, the head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of Saints.