Max Pearson

And he spent two and a half years of his pontificate traveling the globe.

I mean, we can't cover all the trips, but of course, a very special one was the return to Poland.

Yes, the first return to Poland happened in June 1979.

The communists did not agree so that the Pope comes for this famous San Stanisław procession in May.

So the Pope said, OK, so next possible time frame is June.

How about that?

And it turned out that it was Pentecost.

And Pentecost, of course, in the Catholic Church means descending of the Holy Spirit.

And Holy Spirit is someone who enlightens the world and someone who brings change to the world and to nations of this world.

So John Paul II really brought this change.

And I think the pivotal moment was mass change.

at Victory Square, what was then Victory Square, and today it's Piłsudski Square in central Warsaw, where he said, do not be afraid and ask the Holy Spirit to renew the face of the earth, the face of this land.

So he highlighted for the Poles that they are capable of changing their country, but bringing the gospel message to the country, he urged Poles to change, but to change the country peacefully.

And when Pope John Paul II died in 2005, I mean, I remember being in St.

Peter's Square in Rome, hundreds of thousands of people poured into Rome, and it was noticeable how young so many of them were, which reflects, if you like, a generation of Catholics renewed by his papacy, and that's a really significant legacy.

I think he left a generation of people who not only believed he was a saint, but they believed he changed their lives.

And I think it's a recollection of many people across the planet that he just changed their own fate, but also the fate of their countries.

It's not only a case of Poland, because, of course, what started with June 1979 and subsequently starting Solidarity Movement, but it also affected countries around Poland.

I mean, John Paul II, along with President Reagan and Prime Minister Thatcher,

were really responsible for starting a peaceful revolution in the whole region, and subsequently it led to the fall of communism.