Max Pearson

It really awakened in me two things, an evaluation of my faith, which I've kept going, and also it awakened an interest in my culture.

Sort of never really felt an affinity with the Polish culture.

It was just sort of something different.

We had a funny surname, but it meant a lot more than that after this visit, because this visit pulled people together.

Even though I was a Catholic and sort of had almost what you might say a right to be there,

And the same like being a Polish Catholic, having a right to be there.

It was just so special to be there and to be part of the group that was involved with the dance, wear the national costume and things.

I know it sounds maybe a bit tokenist, but to me it was very special.

I felt very privileged to be there.

Michael Yarko was speaking to Jen Dale.

Pope John Paul II crisscrossed the globe during his papacy and remains the only pontiff to have visited New Zealand.

Paulina Guzik is international editor at the Catholic Wire Service OSB.

So what was it, Paulina, about John Paul II that made him want to be a pontiff who went out to so many countries?

Well, you know, I think that the primary reason why he wanted to be out there is that he wanted to evangelize.

He wanted the message of the gospel to reach every person on the planet.

And he knew, especially that he was from Poland, and I'm also originally from Poland, so my heart is definitely with the Polish pope.

On that one, you know, we were at the time a tightly closed country.

We couldn't visit other countries.

I, as a child, was not traveling to Western Europe because we didn't have passports.

So he wanted to be there with the people.