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CNN Sunday Morning

Pope Visits Poland

Aired August 18, 2002 - 07:08   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: More than two million people turned out today to hear Pope John Paul II celebrate Mass in his native Poland. He's 82 years old. His frail health is, of course, obvious and this has led to speculation that this could be his last visit to his homeland as pope or even that he plans to retire.
Let's go to Alessio Vinci in Krakow -- Alessio.

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, hello to you, Catherine. First of all, a latest development here from Polish television. They are reporting that a very small bomb was found in a garbage can in the square in the old part of Krakow, away from where the Pope is at this time. Police received a phone call. They did move a police patrol there and they did move the bomb squad. This bomb, this appears to be not very much -- putting the Pope at risk. As a matter of fact, it did not disrupt at all the huge ceremony that was going on earlier today and is still continuing at this hour at a nearby park, in Baloni (ph) Park where as many as 2.2 million people have gathered there, with an additional 500,000 in the streets around it -- all this to see the Pope, as you said.

Some fear here this will be the last time they will be able to see the Pope alive in Poland. The response, of course, to the Pope's presence here has been tremendous. This is not a big surprise, as he is considered here a huge hero, not only because he helped the people defeat (UNINTELLIGIBLE), because he is, of course, a moral and a spiritual person here for them. But also he is a symbol of defeat over communism and therefore, many people here see that his support for the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) movement in the late '80s and beginning of the '90s have galvanized their struggle against communism, eventually its defeat.

Now, of course, Poland today, more than 10 years later is a very different country, but the people are still going through a very difficult transition from communism , from socialism to market economy and the unemployment rate here is huge, something like 18 percent. One in five people in this country really is a poor person and the pope in his homily today really had some word -- has some words from him and I'm going to read some of it for you.

"I am braced with affection, my countrymen," he said, "particularly the suffering and to seek those struggling with various difficulties, the unemployed, the homeless, the elderly and the lonely, he said, and families with many children. I assured them of my spiritual closeness and I company them constantly in my prayer." Now the pope seems to really get a huge energy boost from this large crowd. He cherished this crowd very much as he entered actually the square. Many people cheer him, welcome home, welcome home or we love you, we love you. The Pope really invigorated by this crowd. He did read the homily on his own, all of it, except he left some parts out.

This (UNINTELLIGIBLE) reminder this would be, this Mass was supposed to be taking place three years ago when he was last in Poland. It was canceled because he fell ill. So, again, the Pope here today, among this huge crowd, reinvigorated by the people and the people, of course, were invigorated by him. The big question, of course, is what will happen once the Pope leaves. We asked that question to many people and they're telling us yes, for now, it is great, but when he goes back home tomorrow, we're going to go back to our everyday life with our everyday miseries.

Back to you, Catherine.

CALLAWAY: Incredible video of the millions of people out there, that turned out to see the Pope. We're looking at that now Alessio. I want to go back, though, quickly to what you mentioned at the beginning of your report, this small bomb that was found. And you said this was nowhere near where the pope was, right?

VINCI: That is correct. The bomb was found, according to Polish television, in a garbage can in the old part of Krakow. This park that can contain this huge crowd is about a couple, several miles away from the old city center. So at no point, we understand, so far the pope was in danger. It was, although indeed, this bomb was placed apparently according to what Polish television is reporting on the motorcade route that the pope eventually would have taken at some point during his visit here today. But again, police officials, or at least from what Polish television appears to be reporting are saying that the pope was in no time in danger should this bomb exploded.

CALLAWAY: All right, thank you.

VINCI: Back to you.

CALLAWAY: That's Alessio Vinci. Alessio is in Krakow. Thanks, Alessio.

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