Pope Francis prays in the Wawel Cathedral in Krakow, Poland, Wednesday, July 27, 2016.
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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 then recalled the far less famous soldiers of the faith in Poland.
The 79 year-old quickly got back to his feet as he was helped by altar servers.
“We slept so little, but it’s worth it, what an atmosphere!” said pilgrim Kate Tor, whose young sons were among the thousands of children who had camped out on the sweeping avenue leading to the monastery. He went on to deliver a long sermon and a Vatican spokesman, Greg Burke, later said “the pope is fine”.
The Argentine Pope is on a five-day trip to Poland.
Francis held mass at Jasna Gora before he headed to the World Youth Day celebrations in the southern Polish city of Krakow, being attended by some 1.5 million young people from around the world.
He subsequently took to his seat, continued the Mass and read his homily normally.
Both of his predecessors had a personal historical connection to the site, with the first, John Paul II, coming from Poland and himself a witness to the unspeakable suffering inflicted on his nation during the German occupation.
The Pontiff appeared to miss a step as he was walking down from the altar. He did not even complain at all.
There, President Duda, a Catholic from Krakow, hailed Pope Francis as a “support, a road sign” in life for young people. “He never said a word”, Depo added.
“It was Pope John Paul who demanded that the nuns leave the convent at Auschwitz One”.
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At his first evening appearance at the window of the archbishop’s palace in Krakow, he told the thousands of youngsters gathered below that Ciesla was getting ready to party with them at the WYD in spirit.
