WARSAW, Poland, Oct. 16 (UPI) -- Poland is swept up in festivities and events commemorating Pope John Paul II's 25th anniversary as head of the Roman Catholic church.
The excitement was highest in the market town of Wadowice, where the pope was born Karol Wojtyla. Fireworks are planned and a huge television screen was erected for a transmission Thursday from the Vatican, the Times of London reported. Tens of thousands of pilgrims flocked into town and knelt in prayer for the 83-year-old pontiff's health.
The pope's death would not only be a national tragedy, but would also represent a personal, intimate loss for Poles who feel linked, in almost a family way, to John Paul II.
In the Western industrial city of Lodz, thousands of believers have written their best wishes to the pope in a letter that is 25 yards long. In Gdansk, church workers have been handing out the pope's favorite cake, a Wadowice specialty filled with vanilla pudding. At an airfield in Bialystok, a huge crowd has been reciting the rosary.
