There Will Never Be Another Like ‘Our Pope’

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, June 21—Pope John Paul II's absence from one of his scheduled Masses during his recent trip to Poland “showed exactly how much this nation … will lose when history's only Polish Pope is gone,” said correspondent Tom Cohen. “Poles know it, they accept it, but they don't like it,” said Cohen.

“One of history's best-loved popes, certainly its most traveled one, John Paul is considered by Poles to be sent by God to help them regain their freedom — both political and spiritual. His papacy brought Poles the spiritual honor of a native son leading the planet's 1 billion Catholics,” observed Cohen

The pace of positive change in Poland is, “to a great extent, the Pope's and the Church's doing,” said President Aleksander Kwasniewski, a former communist.

The intense love Poles have for the Pope shows in the faces that strain for even the briefest look as his motorcade passes. “More telling are the subtle possessives that creep into discussion,” said Cohen.

“Our Pope will always be remembered for what he has done,” insisted Pawel Maciejewski, a 26-year-old geology student who waited for hours for a spot up front at the opening Mass of the pilgrimage in Gdansk.

“There will surely not be as much excitement as for a Polish Pope,” admitted Zofia Hiro. “We've joined Europe. Communism is over. Many countries have now heard of Poland,” she said. “You can't take that away, all that he's done.”

While Poles accept his time on earth may be limited, they unabashedly demanded the Pope's energy at every chance throughout the 13-day pilgrimage. “It seemed they wanted a final personal connection, particularly young people who have never known any other spiritual leader,” said Cohen.

A new pope “will be a real shock to us,” said Agnieszka Kaliszewska, who was born the year of John Paul's election. “We've gotten used to the fact that the Pope is Polish.”