Thousands flock to see the pope

Pope Benedict XVI ended a three-day visit to the Czech Republic on the feast day of St. Wenceslas by holding up the country's patron saint as a role model.

President Václav Klaus attended a farewell ceremony at Prague's Ruzyně Airport, where he said the pope had brought hope to the nation with his message of faith, understanding and tolerance.

On the final day of his visit, Sept. 28, the pope, 82, visited Stará Boleslav, about 25 kilometers northeast of Prague, to bless relics at a shrine to St. Wenceslas, who was murdered by his brother in 935.

St. Wenceslas, the pope said, was "a model of holiness for all people."

Acknowledging the turbulent history of the Czech Republic, the pope said the past 100 years have shown the fallibility of power.

"The last century - as this land of yours can bear witness - saw the fall of a number of powerful figures who had apparently risen to almost unattainable heights," Benedict said, speaking in Italian. "Suddenly, they found themselves stripped of their power," he said. Benedict said that those who deny God and appear to lead a comfortable life are in reality "sad and unfulfilled" people.

The pope celebrated Mass, with an emphasis on the challenges facing young people, in Stará Boleslav in front of an estimated 40,000 attendees. Before he started, he shared a light-hearted moment with his mainly youthful audience: "With you, even the pope feels young."

He then warned youth against the dangers of consumerism and told them "not to be led astray by illusory visions of spurious happiness, only to find yourselves sad and alone."

"Consider seriously the divine call to raise a Christian family, and let your youth be the time in which to build your future with a sense of responsibility. Society needs Christian families, saintly families," he added.

Following the Mass, he met with Czech bishops over lunch and then left for the airport to return to Rome.

The highlight of the visit was a Mass in Brno Sept. 27 that attracted more than 120,000 people. Many had camped out the night before in tents in a field near Brno Tuřany Airport, and 20,000 people were already waiting before dawn. During the Mass, the pontiff spoke of the need to remember and value what he called the Continent's Christian heritage. He stressed that society is based on more than just scientific advances or monetary consideration. He is the first pope to go to Brno since the local diocese was established in 1777.

The pope had been welcomed on his arrival, his first papal visit to the Czech Republic, on the morning of Sept. 26 by Klaus at Ruzyně Airport. He hailed the fall of communism in Central and Eastern Europe.

"I join you and your neighbors in giving thanks for your liberation from those oppressive regimes. If the collapse of the Berlin Wall marked a watershed in world history, it did all the more so for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, enabling them to take their rightful place as sovereign actors in the concert of nations."

"Now that religious freedom has been restored, I call upon the citizens of this republic to rediscover the Christian traditions that have shaped their culture," he said.

Klaus said the trip was as important as the visit by his predecessor, John Paul II, in 1990, one year after the fall of the Iron Curtain.

The pope's entourage then left the airport to travel to Prague where he prayed at the statue of the Infant of Prague at the Church of Our Lady in Victory in Malá Strana where, police estimate, there were 5,000 people waiting.

Among the throng were two young students from Croatia, both named Ivan, who had come to Prague to see the pope.

"It is the Holy Father after all, and it is a terrific experience for us," one said.

Mike, a Catholic from Atlanta who was holidaying in Prague, said the papal visit could usher in a new era.

"I am just a tourist here, but I am impressed that he is actually here. I know the Czech Republic is not as religious as the U.S.; however, I believe this visit will open the door to new possibilities."

Though frail, pensioner Jan Fuka, from Hronov on the Polish border, was determined to see the pope. "This whole thing is having a tremendous impact on me. We are all blessed to have the opportunity to see the Holy Father. I actually saw him; I came all the way from Hronov."

After Malá Strana, the pope lunched at the Apostolic Nunciature on Voršilská street before emerging  at 4:10 p.m. to briefly greet about 300 people who had waited for up to three hours to see him, but he spent less than two minutes waving to onlookers. Many expressed their disappointment that he did not spend more time meeting people who had waited so long. "I know he is a busy man, but he could have said a few words or spoken to people here," one young mother said, carrying her small boy.

He then went up to Prague Castle, where he met government leaders and diplomats. Again, a crowd of about 300 who had waited outside was disappointed as the pope left the castle a couple of hours later by the back entrance.

The visit was not entirely about spiritual affairs. Relations between Prague and the Vatican have been cool in recent years as a treaty on ties has not been ratified, stalling any progress on settling claims by the church for land and property seized by the communists.

After a meeting with Vatican officials on the evening of Sept. 26, Prime Minister Jan Fischer said both sides had agreed to revisit the issue at a later date when the economic climate was more favorable toward reaching a possible settlement.

Tom Clifford can be reached at
tclifford@praguepost.com