"Patron
Saint for Our Difficult Century." - Pope John Paull II
Maximilian
Kolbe was canonized by Pope John Paul II on 10 October 1982, in the presence
of the man he had offered his life for; Franciszek Gajowniczek. The canonization
was controversial because some of Kolbe's writings were allegedly anti-Semitic
(Rees 2005), although this has been thoroughly disputed.
Kolbe is one of ten 20th-century martyrs from across the world who are depicted in statues above the Great West Door of Westminster Abbey, London.
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