The article is an analysis of the approach of the Polish Episcopal Conference to the negotiations with the authorities, with emphasis on the conditions to which the Polish bishops had been willing to agree to ensure the papal visit in 1982. This study comprises three parts: a depiction of the first part of negotiations, when Pope John Paul II and the Polish Episcopal Conference had been opting for the 1982 visit; an overview of the second round of negotiations, that is the process of making arrangements with the authorities with regards to the 1983 visit, as well as the preparations for the pilgrimage; and the key issue connected to the Pope John Paul II’s visit, namely his meeting with Lech Wałęsa. Since researchers have never actually elaborated on the negotiations regarding the potential 1982 pilgrimage, the first part of the article is particularly important. The dispute over Pope John Paul II’s meeting with Lech Wałęsa proved to be an interesting element of the negotiations, confirming that some bishops (including Cardinal Primate Glemp) had been willing to agree with the authorities that the Pope’s conversation with the leader of “Solidarity” was not an indispensable element of the pilgrimage.