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CNN Live Today
Pope Arrives in Native Poland
Aired August 16, 2002 - 12:43 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The pope has made it very clear he has no intention of stepping down, at least not yet.
Our Alessio Vinci has been covering the Vatican for us, and he is on the telephone with us to give us a sense, Alessio, how important it is for the pope to be making this four-day visit, and all of the events that are planned while the pope is there -- Alessio.
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Fredricka -- hello, Fredricka. I just descended the plane -- the same plane that brought Pope John Paul II here to Krakow, and this is the ninth trip to Poland. It is going to be a trip filled with not only with religious and spiritual significance, it also is going to be an -- it will give this pope an opportunity -- and it is (ph) said, some have speculated that it was going to be his last to take another glimpse at his native country, and specifically at Krakow, the city where the pontiff has spent much of his adult life before becoming the pope in 1978.
It will certainly be a trip filled with personal moments and emotions for the 83-year-old pope.
During his three-day stay, the highlight of the pope's visit will be the dedication of a sanctuary just outside of Krakow, and a visit to another sanctuary, a place very dear to him, and to many believers here in Poland. He will celebrate a total of three masses, including an open-air mass on Sunday morning in Blonia Park in Krakow where some two million people, at least two million people are expected to turn out for the event.
As I said, a trip that will give the pope a chance to revisit some of the places very dear to him, including the 14th century Wawel Cathedral in Krakow where the Pope said his first mass, in the Crypt of St. Leonard there when he was ordained priest back in 1946.
And another emotional moment for him is likely to be when he visits the graves of his parents at the Rakowice Cemetery to mark the anniversary of his father's death. Of course, the pope will also meet Polish officials, President Kwasniewski is actually welcoming here at the airport as we speak, and the prime minister, Leszek Miller.
Interesting here to note a slight change of protocol rules during those meetings. When the pope will meet them, he will not have to travel to their offices for back to back meetings, but instead it will be both the president and the prime minister who will pay him a courtesy visit at the archbishop's palace in Krakow, where the pope is actually going to stay for the three days. Another indication, this perhaps, to how much Vatican officials and the pope's medical staff are trying to limit his schedule to as few transfers as possible, each which represents logistical challenges for the ailing pope -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Now, Alessio -- Alessio, there had been some who wondered whether he would say anything immediately after his disembarkment. It looks they have gotten the podium in place, and perhaps he is about to thank that crowd for coming out in great numbers. Do you have any kind of inside scoop on the message that he just might be preparing to give people?
VINCI: Yes, the pope will certainly thank, of course, all the dignitaries and the churchmen that have gathered here at the airport to welcome him, but especially he is going to deliver words of support to the Polish people in general. The country is still going through a very difficult transition from Communist rule to Western democracy, Western capitalist democracy. And we do know that the pope is very much aware of the difficult times that most of the people in this country are facing, especially economically. This is a country that is negotiating early entry with the European Union as early as 2004.
Nevertheless, all these hopes have failed to change the lives of many Poles. Here, where there is 18 percent unemployment. The economy here is really glum, I mean, a lot of people here are suffering, and the pope is expected to bring some words of support to these people. We did receive, in advance, notes of what he is going to say, and of course he will speak to the people, basically telling them that he knows that most of the people in this country are suffering, and that he wished them, you know, all of the -- you know, all the well (ph) as possible, and telling them he shares both their joys as well as their suffering -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Alessio Vinci, who often covers the Vatican for us, now travelling with the pope, as the pope now arrives in his homeland of Poland, where he will be for the next four days carrying out a number of events there, including a mass ceremony of mass on Sunday morning.
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