Polish-born pope remembered in Washington
PR dla Zagranicy
Grzegorz Siwicki
22.10.2018 07:30
A string of religious and cultural events were held in the US capital over the weekend to pay tribute to John Paul II, the late Polish-born pope who led the Roman Catholic Church from 1978 to 2005.
![Pope John Paul II. Photo: Eric Draper (whitehouse.gov) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](http://external.polskieradio.pl/files/db19465b-58ac-4d47-964a-fd012e991034.file "Pope John Paul II. Photo: Eric Draper (whitehouse.gov) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons")
Pope John Paul II. Photo: Eric Draper (whitehouse.gov) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Prayers and commemorative ceremonies were held at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington on Sunday to mark 40 years since Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyła was elected Pope John Paul II.
Americans and Poles living in the US capital prayed, listened to lectures and watched films about the late pope, who was the third longest-serving pontiff in history and was declared a saint in 2014, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
The Saint John Paul II National Shrine is a 12,000-square-metre complex in Washington, DC, that houses a permanent exhibition about John Paul II and is also home to a church, an auditorium and a chapel. The shrine is a place of prayer for Catholics and welcomes people of all faiths.
Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and his Cabinet ministers on October 16 laid flowers at the Papal Cross in Warsaw to mark four decades since Karol Wojtyła was elected to the papacy.
A host of events were last Sunday held throughout Poland as people remembered John Paul II on what is known as Papal Day.
Polish President Andrzej Duda on Tuesday attended a commemorative service honouring the late pontiff at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.
John Paul II served as pope from October 16, 1978 until his death on April 2, 2005.
He visited 129 countries during his long pontificate and was a strong supporter of Poland's anti-communist Solidarity movement. He is recognised as a key influence in helping to end communist rule in Poland in 1989.
(gs)
Source: IAR