CZESTOCHOWA, Poland (AP) – The Latest on Pope Francis’ visit to Poland and World Youth Day celebrations (all times local):
11:45 a.m.
Pope Francis has praised native son St. John Paul II as a “meek and powerful” herald of mercy as well as countless “ordinary yet remarkable people” who held firm to their Catholic faith throughout adversity in the former Communist-ruled nation.
The Argentine pontiff, who had never had set foot in Eastern Europe before this week’s five-day pilgrimage, gazed in awe for several minutes at the Jasna Gora monastery shrine’s iconic image of the so-called Black Madonna and Child. The faces in the images are blackened by centuries of varnish and candle soot since the artwork became the object of veneration starting in the 14th century.
Then, during an outdoor Mass before tens of thousands, Francis lavished praise on a legacy of steadfast Polish Catholic faith as he urged Poles to hold fast to their faith.