Polish Press on Second Day of Papal Pilgrimage

Polish newspapers coming out on Saturday have focused on the Holy Mass celebrated by Benedict XVI in Warsaw, with the visit to Częstochowa remaining in the background. Additionally, the weekend issues coming out today devoted ample attention to tomorrow’s agenda and the visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau.

All the newspapers point to the breaking of emotional barriers with Benedict XVI’s approaching the pilgrims gathered in Piłsudski Square a major breakthrough in this respect.

Rzeczpospolita daily stressed on a number of occasions the emotional bond that the Pope managed to strike with Varsovians. The daily devotes much room to reporting on the motivation and testimonies of the pilgrims. Rzeczpospolita publishes lengthy excerpts form the Pope’s homily. Its discussion on the first page stresses the fact that it was a commentary to and an elaboration on the motto of the papal pilgrimage. A big article is dedicated to the Witnesses to the Holocaust, those who survived the incarceration in Auschwitz-Birkenau and who will greet Benedict XVI in the former concentration camp.

Dziennik daily, both on the first pages of the main issue (1-7) and in its Warsaw supplement, provides an extensive coverage of yesterday’s meetings in Piłsudski Square and in Jasna Góra and publishes the Pope’s detailed agenda for today. The daily repeatedly stresses its appreciation for the Pontiff, who "wins the hearts" and "breaks the ice" and for the pilgrims, who in large numbers and with much emotional involvement took part in the celebrations (despite the heavy precipitation in Warsaw). The authors of the articles emphasise the special respect shown by the present Pope to his predecessor at virtually every stage of the pilgrimage.

Nasz Dziennik daily in fact covers no other issue but the papal pilgrimage (23 out of its 24 pages, texts of the homilies and the pilgrims’ missal). The recurrent theme of the reports (the first seven pages) is the need to strengthen faith in the face of the threats of relativism, a selective approach to the Gospel truths and the Tradition of the Church, as well as the effects of modernism and liberalism. The journalists of the newspaper repeatedly stress the great need for defending the patrimony of the faith in Poland. The daily quotes numerous comments of the bishops and the chairman of the ruling political party (PiS, Law and Justice), Jarosław Kaczyński (personal impressions from the meeting with the Pope; happiness with the fact that they share a vision of Catholicism). The reports stress the cordial and warm relations between the Pontiff and the faithful ("This is our beloved Pope!"). The paper mentions a numerous group of pilgrims from behind Poland’s eastern border. It provides additional materials from the ecumenical encounter from Thursday and continues the theme of Polish missions in the West (the issue of the responsibility for Polish migrants and other nations of Europe). The quotes from the world’s media point to the enthusiastic reception of the Pope in Poland. The issue contains an article on St. Maximilian M. Kolbe.

According to the first estimates, the welcome ceremony at the airport was watched on television by 5.2 million viewers, 3.7 million followed the meeting in the Metropolitan Cathedral, and a slightly smaller number watched the celebrations in the Presidential Palace. The evening ecumenical encounter was followed by approx. 2 million viewers.

pc//ter