” ““I have come to follow in his footsteps, along the journey of his life, from his childhood to his departure for the memorable conclave of 1978. Along this journey, I want to meet and get to know better the generations of believers who offered him to the service of God and the Church, and those that have been born and have grown for the Lord under his pastoral guidance as a priest, as a bishop and as a Pope”: with these words, marked by a direct, fond recollection of John Paul II, Benedict XVI addressed the civilian and religious leaders of Poland, who were at the airport to welcome him at the beginning of his pastoral visit. The Pope immediately specified that “it is not just a sentimental journey, although it is also that, but this is a journey of faith, part of the mission that has been entrusted to me by the Lord in the person of the apostle Peter, who was called to confirm his brothers in faith”. He then added: “I too want to draw from the plentiful source of your faith, which has been springing out uninterruptedly for over one thousand years” and then he said words of greeting and thanks to the leaders of the sister Christian Churches (Orthodox and Evangelical-Habsburg) as well as to the leaders of the Jewish community and Islam followers.
