The pontiff arrived in the southern city of Krakow on Wednesday afternoon to take part in the weeklong World Youth Day, attended by thousands of young pilgrims from across the globe. The event, one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, is held this year under the slogan "Blessed are the Merciful“.
In an official welcoming ceremony held at Krakow’s Wawel castle, Francis met with President Andrzej Duda, First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda and Prime Minister Beata Szydło.
President Duda officialy welcomed the pope on behalf of the Polish nation, and thanked him for coming, as the pope’s presence symbolised goodness that young people yearn for in the world today, he said.
In an address that followed, the pope appealed to the Polish nation for "wisdom and mercy" in confronting modern-day challenges.
"There is a need to identify the reasons behind the emigration from Poland, and to facilitate the return of those who wish to come back," the pope said.
"At the same time, there is a need for readiness to accept those fleeing war and hunger, and [a need] for solidarity with those deprived of their basic rights, including the right to pursue their faith in freedom and safety," the pope added.
The pope also called for international collaboration and coordination of efforts to find ways to resolve conflict and war that compel people to flee their homelands. He pointed to the need to "do our utmost to alleviate suffering and to work relentlessly and wisely for the benefit of justice and peace, bearing witness to human and Christian values with concrete actions."
The pontiff also appealed for the protection of life from conception to natural death, adding that "it is the duty of the state, the Church and society to assist and provide concrete help to those facing dire difficulties, so that a child may never be regarded as a burden."
The pope pointed out that it was his first visit to Central and Eastern Europe and expressed joy over being in Poland, the birthplace of Pope John Paul II, the founder and promoter of World Youth Day.
Later on Wednesday, the pontiff held meetings with President Duda and Polish bishops. In the evening, the pope greeted crowds gathered outside the city’s Bishop’s Palace, standing at the same window Pope John Paul II would appear at to deliver speeches to Catholic followers.
Photo: PAP/Darek Delmanowicz
Organizers predict that up to 1.5 million people from 187 countries are likely to attend the main events of World Youth Days - a night vigil with the pope on Saturday and an open-air mass celebrated by the pontiff on the last day, Sunday.
On Thursday, Pope Francis will celebrate a mass at the southern Black Madonna shrine of Częstochowa to mark the 1,050th anniversary of the Baptism of Poland.
On Friday, he is scheduled to visit the site of the former Nazi German concentration camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
The main venues of the religious celebrations will be the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy in the Kraków district of Łagiewniki, the Błonie Common in Kraków and the Campus Misericordiae in the nearby town of Brzegi, where young people from around the world will attend a night vigil and mass with Pope Francis on 30-31 July.
Launched by the late Polish-born Pope John Paul II in the 1980s, World Youth Days have been held every two or three years. Poland has hosted the event once before, in 1991, at the Black Madonna shrine of Częstochowa. (aba)
Source: IAR, PAP