Pope John Paul's II hometown celebrates canonisation

Wadowice's market square during the canonisation of Pope John Paul II, Sunday 27 April. Photo: PAP/Stanislaw Rozpedzik

“The man of today is so troubled and confused that he is losing hope,” reflected Father Benedykt Belgrau during a mass prior to the canonisation.

“He needs the good tidings of mercy.”

“This great task was taken up by John Paul II,” he added.

“He brought a spark of God's mercy on his pilgrimages throughout the entire world.”

Following the mass, the canonisation at the Vatican was broadcast on a specially-erected screen.

Katol Wojtyla was born in Wadowice in 1920, just two years after Poland had regained its independence. His father has been an officer in the Austro-Hungarian army, serving in Moravia during the Great War.

The future pope began his studies at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow in 1938. He would later become the city's archbishop for close to two decades, before being elected pontiff in October 1978.

A museum dedicated to Pope John Paul II was reopened earlier this month in Wadowice after a far-reaching revamp. (nh)

Source: PAP