Record number of journalists to cover Pope Benedict's visit to Poland
(May 11, 06) : More than 4,000 journalists have applied for credentials to cover the
trip to Poland by Pope Benedict XVI beginning May the 25th. Marcin Prceciszewski,
who is coordinating media relations for the papal visit, told reporters in Rome that
the number of journalists accredited for the papal visit, which will take place May
25- 28, easily exceeds the number who accompanied Pope John Paul II on his own trips
to his native country. For the first time, a Polish national television network will
offer 24-hour coverage of the papal visit. Prceciszewski said that a visit to Auschwitz
has drawn the largest number of requests for credentials among the public appearances
that Pope Benedict will make in Poland. The Pontiff will also visit Warsaw and Krakow,
his predecessor's birthplace at Wadowice, and shrines in Czestochowa and Kalwaria
Zebrzdowska.