Poland rapturously celebrated on Thursday the 80th birthday of Pope John Paul II, the country's most famous son -- and nowhere more so than in his hometown of Wadowice.
Published:
21 May 2000 y., Sunday
It was here in southern Poland that the Holy Father was born Karol Wojtyla in 1920, taking up the cloth and rising to become archbishop of nearby Krakow before being elected Bishop of Rome in 1978.
The pope made an emotional pilgrimage to his native town last June during a 13-day marathon tour of his homeland, which many assume was the last for the ailing pontiff. Well over 90 percent of Poles are Catholic, and the country's media have been dominated for days by reports leading up to the pope's birthday.
The town of Wadowice itself, whose normal population is barely 15,000, was expecting twice that number for a special concert Thursday evening in the main square, bedecked with banners, with some wishing the pope will live to be 100.
The day began with a meeting of seven to 10 of Karol Wojtyla's classmates, who attended morning mass in the Church of the Virgin Mary where the pope was baptized and prayed twice daily, meters (yards) from the house where he was born. The house has been turned into a papal museum, and a special exhibition has been put together for his birthday.
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
The European Commission activated its Community Mechanism for Civil Protection over the weekend to help address emergencies in Taiwan and Portugal.
more »
She might have a holy name, but Madonna was not welcome in parts of Poland on one of the holiest days of the Catholic calendar.
August 15th this year fell on a Saturday - the perfect day of the week for a pop concert, some might say.
more »
The 56 year-old former banker Geoff Spice has smoked for decades and is hoping a month alone in the wilds of Scotland will help him kick his 30 a day habit.
more »
Les Paul was a dominant force in the music busine ss since Word War II. He passed away at a New York hospital on Thursday at the age of 94.
more »
After days of not knowing, Indonesian police forensic tests have shown that a man killed on a weekend raid on a farmhouse in Central Java was not Noordin Mohammed Top, one of South-East Asia's most wanted men.
more »
Vilnius is the highest-ranking capital among neighbouring countries according to the annual worldwide Mercer's 2009 Quality of Living Survey.
more »
The European Union offers young Europeans the opportunity to express their views and help build a sustainable world.
more »
Eunice Kennedy Shriver -- the sister of former President John F. Kennedy -- died early Tuesday morning.
more »
There are many reasons for taking the car on holiday - practicality, fear of flying or the feeling of independence it gives.
more »
A new audio aid is giving blind swimmers at one beach in the south of France the freedom of the seas.
more »