It was a Polish woman, Ursuline sister of the Roman Union. Sister Emilia Ehrlich. She was not employed by the Vatican and she would come to the Holy Father every Monday. Sister Emilia provided summaries of several books. And, then there was a brief dialogue. She drew attention to some points and provided interpretation. The Pope inquired about the details. I remember that a few times when she left, the Holy Father stated that this sister had great intellectual potential, was very capable, and that she admired her for her great preparation of the summary. He once turned to me and said: “This sister, it is power.”
– What books did you read to the Holy Father I do not think they were criminal books?
– I did not read criminal books (smile). But, books from different fields, for example: literature, history; of course, also from theology and dogmatic. In these books, quite often, the Holy Father said: “We will move on to the next chapter.” I read on, and after a while he said again: “I know that. Let’s move on to the next chapter.” I think he knew a lot more than the authors and often he found nothing new in these readings.
– Reading books to the Pope, was the priest interested in their content? Were you more focused on reading the book as best as possible?
– Both. It was not difficult to read and use this content yourself. I remember how impressed I was by the facts of the life of Urszula Ledóchowska’s, the founder of Ursulines of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus, grey Ursulines. I didn’t know many of them before. The Holy Father was also very interested in this book. When I was reading it, he said of sister Ledóchowska: “What a great personality! What a wonderful intellect!”
Secretary of two Popes – conversation with Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki.
Wydawnictwo Literackie Publishing House
