John Paul II sainthood revives Poland's 'sense of community'
PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge
28.04.2014 08:48
President Bronislaw Komorowski has said that Sunday's canonisation of Pope John Paul II revived a much-needed sense of community among Poles.
President Bronislaw Komorowski speaks with journalists in the Piazza della Minerva, Rome. Photo: PAP/Jacek Turczyk
Speaking to journalists in Rome he said the sight of thousands of Polish pilgrims indicated “that we are building what's very much needed in day-to-day life, and not just on special occasions – a sense of community.
“I think that John Paul II strove to create such a community, and he was always very successful in building it,” he said.
“My strongest memories associated with the pope are of his first visit to Poland during the communist era,” he told the TVN channel.
“It was a breath of hope, a relishing of freedom which already existed in us, even though there was no freedom,” he said.
“A large part of the pope's dreams has certainly been realised through joint efforts,” he added.
About 800,000 pilgrims attended the canonisation mass of both Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII on Sunday.
Pope Francis described the late pontiffs as “valiant men”, and referred to Pope John Paul II as “the pope of the family.” (nh)
Source: PAP/TVN