Pope Francis visits Divine Mercy and St. John Paul II Shrines
Pope Francis on the fourth day of his five-day pilgrimage to Poland visited the Shrine of Divine Mercy and the St. John Paul II Shrine in Krakow-Lagiewniki.
Visiting the Divine Mercy Shrine the pope went to a local convent chapel where he was greeted by some 200 nuns of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy and their wards. Inside the 19th-century chapel the pope prayed at a tomb with the relics of St. Faustina. In 1993, Holy Father John Paul II raised Sister Faustina to the glory of the altars and in 2000 numbered her among the saints of the Church.
Later the pope walked to the Basilica of Divine Mercy where he took part in the liturgy of reconciliation with the participation of young people and heard confessions of eight of them. Before leaving the shrine, Francis signed the shrine's guest book and made a brief stop to speak with priests and the sick. "I ask you to pray for me," the pope said addressing the faithful.
Next the pontiff left for the nearby St. John Paul II Shrine where he celebrated a Mass for some two thousand Polish priests, religious men and women, consecrated persons and seminarians. A further five thousand clergymen and faithful participated in the Mass standing outside the church while tens of thousands, among them World Youth Day participants, followed the ceremony from the sanctuary’s meadows.
The St. John Paul II Shrine is part of a bigger religious complex - the "Do Not Be Afraid!" John Paul II Centre. It was launched by Archbishop of Krakow Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz in 2006. The centre was created, among other things, to preserve the memory and promote the legacy of Pope John Paul II. (PAP)
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