KRAKOW (voa) – Pope John Paul II has made an emotional return to his native Poland, expressing solidarity with the unemployed and troubled. Speaking at the start of his ninth visit to his homeland, the pope said Catholics can not remain indifferent to suffering as Poland pursues economic reforms, and he pledged to offer a message of hope.
In his message of welcome, Poland’s President Aleksander Kwasniewski expressed the hope the visit will not only fortify the Polish people but also strengthen the ailing 82-year-old pontiff. Thousands of people, waving Polish and Vatican flags, welcomed the pope with songs and hymns. Their enthusiasm appeared to buoy and strengthen the pope. The pontiff earlier walked down the stairs from the aircraft with the assistance of aides. Authorities had used a lift to help the pope enter the plane in Rome.
Pope John Paul will spend four days in and around Kraków, where he served as bishop, archbishop and cardinal. Saturday, the pontiff will consecrate the Shrine of Divine Mercy just outside the city. Sunday, he will celebrate an open-air Mass in a Krakow park. He will also pay a private visit to the tomb of his parents. Before returning to Vatican City, late Monday, the pope is to celebrate Mass to honor the 400th anniversary of a monastery and shrine near Kraków.
The pontiff suffers from arthritis and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, and he now finds it difficult to walk a sharp contrast from the robust health he displayed in 1979 during his first visit to his homeland as pope. Many Poles revere the pontiff as the man who inspired the nation to throw off Soviet-backed Communist rule during the 1980’s.
