Poles praise Pope Benedict XVI for addressing them in Polish during his papal trip
(26 May 2006) : Polish Catholics praised Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday for addressing
them in their native tongue at the start of his four-day visit to Poland. The pope
made several remarks in Polish during his arrival speech at the Warsaw airport and
in an address to Polish clergy at the Cathedral of St. John. Afterward, his main texts
were read in Italian. The pope, who accompanied Pope John Paul II on his 1979 homecoming
and has made several previous visits to Poland, regularly addresses Polish pilgrims
to Rome in their native language. The Polish head of the Vatican's Congregation for
Catholic Education, Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, said he believed the pope was "too
conscious of his mission" while addressing Polish crowds and already had extensive
experience addressing different audiences. Around one million faithful are expected
to attend the open-air Mass in Krakow on Sunday May 28.