Homecoming

Forty years ago today Pope John Paul II landed in Warsaw, capital of the nation in which he had grown up as Karol Wojtyla. In so doing he exposed some of the weaknesses of the ruling Communist regime and laid the groundwork for how the Roman Catholic church would erode its power. Polish Communist officials could neither prevent the Pope's journey to his homeland or keep people from coming to see him, and their impotence went a long way towards reducing fear of the regime and increasing Poles' boldness in seeking human rights and economic reforms.