Pilgrims filled the square with flags and banners and the night before, hundreds of thousands participated in prayer vigils held in churches in central Rome in different languages.
This memorable ceremony, presided over by Pope Francis, was called that of “the four Popes”, since the then Pontiff Emeritus Benedict XVI also attended.
This Wednesday, during his greetings to the Polish-speaking pilgrims, the Holy Father recalled this date and highlighted that, by contemplating the life of Saint John Paul II, “we can see what man can achieve by welcoming and developing in himself the gifts of God: faith, hope and charity.”