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 use of animals in scientific experiments could soon be reduced by new legislation, approved by the Agriculture Committee on Monday, which strives to strike the right balance between improving animal welfare and assisting research against diseases.
more »
EU holidaymakers travelling by plane or train are protected by a whole range of consumer rights.
more »
The European Commission welcomes the European Parliament voting in favour of a regulation on rights of passengers travelling by sea and by inland waterways.
more »
Mobile phones, computers, TVs - we like them but where do they go when we are finished with them? In the worst case they can be dismantled by hand for scrap by children in developing countries.
more »
Following the death of President Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas, on 28 June Lithuanian Embassies abroad opened the door for people, who want to sign the Condolence Book.
more »
Passengers will enjoy easier access to information about their rights when travelling by rail or air thanks to a Europe-wide publicity campaign in 23 languages launched by the European Commission today.
more »
Lithuania has been grieved by the heartbreaking news about the decease of Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas, former President, Prime Minister, Signatory to the Act of Independence, and the first Head of State of Lithuania after the Restoration of Independence.
more »
We have lost a warm person and a prominent politician who had been at the wheel of state at challenging and difficult stages in the history of Lithuania.
more »
Europe's financial and economic crisis is increasingly becoming a social crisis too, and is testing European solidarity to the limit.
more »
In a move to enforce a style of dress they believe is in accordance with sharia law, the authorities in the Muslim Indonesian province of West Aceh are handing out long skirts to women wearing tight pants.
more »