Poland was always going to require some deft tightrope-walking by Pope Francis. The Polish Church embodies many of the elements of Catholicism he most wants to see reformed, and many of its bishops are resistant, even hostile, to the more open direction that marks his papacy.

He went out of his way not to upbraid them publicly, as he had done during recent meetings with Italian, Mexican and United States’ bishops, opting instead for “informal discussions” held behind closed doors.