(11 Jun 1999) Natural Sound
Pope John Paul II urged Poles to put ethics and faith at the core of their young democracy, during an unprecedented speech in parliament on Friday.
The Pope's speech was the first address by a Roman Catholic pontiff to a national parliament.
He offered the most political comments so far of his 13-day pilgrimage to Poland, giving the Vatican's full endorsement to Poland's efforts to join the European Union.
Pope John Paul II met Poland's president Alexander Kwasniewski on Friday morning, before his speech to parliament.
The pontiff's meeting with Kwasniewski, a former communist, is being seen as a gesture that symbolizes the kind of reconciliation John Paul is seeking on what could be his final visit to his homeland.
On his way to parliament to become the first Roman Catholic pontiff to address a national parliament, the Pope was greeted by hundreds of flag-waving Poles.
They lined the route to catch glimpse of him, as they have done throughout his visit.
Before arriving at parliament, the Pope stopped at a monument to soldiers killed during World War Two to give a blessing.
The 79-year-old Pope has greatly influenced recent Polish history, inspiring the birth of the Solidarity movement that eventually toppled communist rule a decade ago.
At parliament, he spoke to an audience of legislators, judges, religious leaders, diplomats and other dignitaries, including former communists who tried to crush the Solidarity movement.
He called on Poles to put ethics and faith at the core of their young democracy,
John Paul said politics and economic development must be based on ethical principles and spirituality, a theme with particular resonance in a country where many people
equate national identity with Catholicism.
At the end, he echoed his prayer from his first pilgrimage home 20 years earlier, when he asked the Holy Spirit to "renew the face" of Poland.
Those words are credited with helping spark the birth of Solidarity a year later, leading to the end of communism in 1989.
Solidarity founder Lech Walesa, the first popularly elected president after communism, was among the audience that gave the Pope standing ovations.
Those applauding also included former communist leader Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski, who imposed martial law in 1981 to try to crush the Solidarity democracy movement the Pope helped inspire.
John Paul smiled warmly during the lengthy applause at the end.
He then held out his arms in a gesture of wonder and said, "Oh, what's happened to us!"
The audience laughed and began clapping rhythmically.
The Pope is expected to pay tribute to Jewish victims of the Holocaust at Umschlagpatz monument in Warsaw on Friday afternoon.
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