Pope makes sentimental return trip to Poland

HIS body frail, but spirit strong, Pope John Paul II is making a sentimental journey this week to the land he knew as a young priest that many fear could be his last to his native Poland.

A visit from the Pope, born Karol Wojtyla, is an affair of the heart for Poles and a unifying event of national proportions. In the overwhelmingly Catholic country, 86% of the people consider a papal visit an important personal event, according to a survey by the private CBOS polling agency.

Up to four million pilgrims are expected to greet the Holy Father during his visit from tomorrow to Monday, including retired dressmaker Janina Krzeluk, 61, who plans to travel from Warsaw to Krakow.