The mass proceeded as planned and the pope delivered a sermon before thousands in the southern city of Czestochowa.
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World Youth Day, one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, is being held this year under the slogan “Blessed are the Merciful”.
The head of the Catholic Church described Father Jacques Hamel, who was forced to his knees by suspected militants who then slit his throat, as a saintly priest, but said he was one of many innocents who had died.
Andrzej Duda proclaimed that Pope Francis brings to Poland and thousands of young pilgrims the values that the world needs today: faith and goodness.
Thousands of jubilant young people gathered in the street outside the Archbishop of Krakow’s residence on Wednesday evening, to see Pope Francis speaking at the window.
As archbishop of Buenos Aires in his native Argentina, he rode public transport to inspire humility among church hierarchy.
Organizers predict that up to 1.5 million people from 187 countries are likely to attend the main events – a night vigil with the pope on Saturday and an open-air mass celebrated by the pontiff on the last day, Sunday. In place of the usual destination indicator were the words “Tram del Papa” – Italian for “the pope’s tram”. The baptism of a medieval king in 966 put the nation on course to be part of the Latin-speaking world, setting it apart from Orthodox nations on its borders.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis has urged Poland’s leaders “to overcome fear” and show compassion to migrants.
The young people, many in rain coats and waving their national flags, sang and danced as they waited for Francis.
Worry about bad weather prompted a last-minute change the pope’s travel plans, with Francis opting to take a vehicle instead of a military helicopter to Czestochowa, 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Krakow. Security was tight following a string of attacks in Europe, and people were warned over loudspeakers not to leave their bags unattended. He returned to Krakow by helicopter.
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Pope Francis has made an unscheduled stop at a clinic to visit and pray for comatose Cardinal Franciszek Macharski, an-89-year-old retired prelate who had been archbishop of Krakow. John Paul II and Faustina.
