Pope Francis, deeply saddened by the slaying of an elderly priest during Mass in a church in the French countryside, warned grimly Wednesday that the world is at war, but cautioned against labeling it a war among religions.
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Pope Francis prayed on Thursday before Poland’s holiest icon – the Black Madonna of Jasna Gora – and said outdoor Mass for a congregation numbering in the tens of thousands, thanking Poles for holding on to their faith in hard times.
Francis was due to return to Krakow on Thursday afternoon for formally open World Youth Day, a jamboree of young people around the world that has sometimes been dubbed the “Catholic Woodstock”.
The scary moment occurred when the 79-year-old Francis, walking in a long white robe carrying an incense holder did not notice a step down from a platform and fell, steps before the altar.
A spokesman said Pope Francis is fine, The Associated Press reports.
World Youth Day kicked off Tuesday with a mass led by the archbishop of Krakow. Thirty-two pilgrims from the Archdiocese of New Orleans are attending the event. President Andrzej Duda and members of the conservative government – with whom Walesa is at odds – were present.
Earlier, he was at the Archbishop’s residence in the heart of the city, where Pope Francis met with top members of the Polish church. “He never said a word”, Depo said.
The Mass marked this year’s 1,050th anniversary of Poland’s acceptance of the Roman Catholic faith, a move that eventually set it apart culturally from Orthodox nations in the region.
Poland refused to take part in an European Union deal to take in refugees.
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Francis urged today’s Poles to stay united, as their nation is divided over such issues as how to view refugees and migrants, especially those who are not Christians. He returned to Krakow by helicopter.
