St John Paul II in Victory Square: herald of hope and freedom

(Vatican Radio) What exactly did Saint Pope John Paul II mean when upon his election he told the crowds he came from a far away country? That's what he himself tells us in the last book of his pontificate "Memory and Identity, Personal Reflections'.

And again what happened exactly on that day in Warsaw's Victory Square on June 2, 1979 when Poland was still behind the iron curtain? That's what the man who coordinated that encounter, Jesuit Cardinal Roberto Tucci tells Veronica Scarisbrick, sharing with her the impression of euphoric welcome on the part of the huge crowds as the Polish Pontiff appeared to them. As they recognised in their fellow countryman a messenger of hope and herald of freedom for their common homeland which at the time was stifling under the choke of communism.

In this programme Cardinal Tucci gives a first hand account of that historic event. One which as we know was to produce a ripple effect across Poland and behind the rest of the iron curtain..

Listen to this programme presented and produced by Veronica Scarisbrick: