Pope Francis is set to arrive Wednesday in Poland, but the homeland of Saint Pope John Paul II – Francis’ most popular modern-day predecessor -- is not rolling out the red carpet for the pontiff whose social agenda has alienated many in the conservative nation.
Francis will be in Krakow to celebrate World Youth Day, the event initiated more than 30 years ago by Pope John Paul II in which hundreds of thousands of young people from all over the world gather. But unlike the favorite son the Eastern European nation sent to the Vatican, Francis has received a chilly reception.
“The Pope, an inconvenient guest,” was the headline on an article earlier this month in Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland’s largest circulation newspaper.
The event, held this year in the southern Poland city from July 27 through July 31, takes place every 2 or 3 years in a different city. In 2013, the host city was Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Polish bishops circulated a letter publicizing the event that was read in churches throughout the nation on July 3. The letter praised the late Pope John Paul II three times, yet made no mention of Pope Francis.
“Here in Poland – a papal country – we have a very unusual situation,” journalist Katarzyna Wisniewska wrote. “Nobody here is waiting for the pope.”
In a country of 38 million people, 92 percent of whom identify as Roman Catholic, Pope John Paul II, born Karol Jozef Wojtyla in Wadowice, Poland, and canonized in 2014, is among the most beloved figures in history.
Francis’ liberal social positions clash with the Polish church’s conservative orientation and alignment with the far-right Law and Justice Party government.