Monday marks 45 years since Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyła was elected Pope John Paul II.
The late pontiff 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.
John Paul II once told his compatriots during a homily at Warsaw’s Piłsudski Square: "Let your Spirit descend and renew the face of the earth, the face of this land!"
Those words uttered by Pope John Paul II during his first pilgrimage to his native country on June 2, 1979 sent a powerful message to the Polish people at a time when the nation was still under communism.
Though couched in biblical language, the pope's words were interpreted by many as encouragement not to lose hope under the hardships and oppression of Poland's communist regime. Just over a year later, the Solidarity freedom movement was born in the country.
In 1981, the pope was shot and seriously wounded in an assassination attempt at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican.
Bodyguards hold Pope John Paul II (centre) after he was shot at St. Peter's Square in Vatican City on May 13, 1981. Photo: EPA/ANSA FILES via PAP
On Sunday, a host of religious and cultural events were held throughout the country as Poles remembered John Paul II on what is known as Papal Day.
John Paul II, who visited 129 countries during his long pontificate, served as pope from October 16, 1978 until his death on April 2, 2005.
He was the third longest-serving pontiff in history and was declared a saint in 2014.
Eighty-one percent of adults in Poland have said in a recent survey that the late pontiff remains a moral authority for them.
Documents unearthed several years ago show that Pope John Paul II was seen as the main enemy of Poland’s communist-era rulers, according to a report.
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Source: IAR, PAP