I am pleased to welcome you and I address a cordial greeting to all of you present here, as well as to those who are following us via radio and television. »»
Cardinal Ratzinger first visited Poland in 1979. On June 10 that year, along with the delegation of the Conference of the Bishops of Germany, he took part in a Holy Mass celebrated in the Cracow Błonia meadow. "I first came to Poland with John Paul II in 1979. This was an unforgettable visit to his homeland, and at the same time an excellent experience, since I felt the enthusiasm of faith, the power of resistance to atheism, the strength of the Catholic faith. One could also feel the presence of anti-Christian dictatorship and ideology" recalled Cardinal Ratzinger in an interview for Jasna Góra Radio. »»
Joseph Ratzinger was born on 16 April 1927 in Marktl, Passau Diocese, in a Bavarian family of devout Catholics. In 1943 he was commissioned to serve in an anti-aircraft unit. »»
