Altar Portrait of John Paul II, Basilica, Krakow, Poland

pope john paul basilica krakow
In Krakow, there is no more popular figure than Pope John Paul II. He, along with Lech Walesa, deservedly get a lot of the credit for Poland's independence from Moscow. Of course, John Paul II was also recently made a saint by the current Pope Francis. So, he even gets extra veneration. Every church we've seen so far in Krakow (and most of the Krakow souvenir stands as well) feature portraits of Pope John Paul II.

But here, in the basilica which was his “home” parish when he was Cardinal of Krakow, he gets something special. His portrait is set on an altar, and there's a prayer card with a suggested supplication on the kneeler in front of it. Because John Paul II is now a saint, good Catholics can now pray directly to him for intercession with God.

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