270,000 attend Mass by Pope Benedict XVI (in Warsaw Poland)

About 270,000 people on Friday attended a Mass by Pope Benedict XVI in the same Warsaw square where his predecessor had inspired Poland's Solidarity movement against communist rule a quarter-century before.

The faithful filled the rain-drenched Pilsudski Square, standing resolutely in ponchos and under umbrellas. Church bells pealed as the pope was driven to the square through streets lined with cheering, waving people. An aide held an umbrella as Benedict ascended a high Mass platform topped by a 82-foot metal cross.

In his sermon, Benedict challenged moral relativism, or the view that there are no absolute values.

In remarks read in Polish by an aide, Benedict warned against those "seeking to falsify the Word of Christ and to remove from the Gospel those truths which in their view are too uncomfortable for modern man."

"They try to give the impression that everything is relative: even the truths of faith would depend on the historical situation and human evaluation," he said, in remarks that echoed his homily at John Paul II's funeral last year. "Yet the church cannot silence the spirit of truth."

Aneta Owczarek, 18, dripping wet without a raincoat, said she wouldn't consider going inside.

"No way," she said. "This is one of the most important events that could ever happen in Poland and we don't know if we'll ever see the pope here again."

Boy Scouts distributed tarpaulins to shield people against the rain, and people climbed on fences and sang along with the choir. Police spokesman Pawel Biedziak estimated the crowd at about 270,000.

That was less than in 1979, when some 300,000 people jammed the square, with some 750,000 in the surrounding streets, to see John Paul on his first trip to his native land as pope.

During that historic visit to what was then called Victory Square, John Paul challenged the atheist communist authorities, urging his people to "renew the face of this land."

Solidarity founder Lech Walesa would later credit the pope with energizing the emerging trade union resistance to Soviet-backed communist rule, which collapsed in 1989-90.

Benedict urged today's Poland — now a member of the European Union — to remain a strong Catholic voice in an increasingly secular Europe. "Stand firm in your faith, hand it down to your children," he said in his homily.

White and yellow Vatican flags festooned lampposts, and Benedict's picture stood in apartment windows; one window on Mazowiecka Street had pictures of both Benedict and John Paul.

"John Paul II was dearer to us, because he was our brother," said Barbara Kamela, 60, a retired bookkeeper who attended the 1979 Mass.

"This pope is visibly trying to be close to us, we have a strong impression from him and I came to this Mass to be near him."

The Mass is the highlight of the second day of a four-day trip that will include Benedict's trip to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, a visit heavy with significance for Catholic-Jewish relations, a favorite cause of both Benedict and John Paul.

AP - Fri May 26, 8:08 AM ET Pope Benedict XVI delivers his blessing at the end of an open air mass he celebrated at the Pilsudski square in Warsaw, Friday, May 26, 2006. Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass for an estimated 270,000 people Friday in a rain-drenched Warsaw square where his predecessor, John Paul II, inspired Poland's Solidarity movement against communist rule in a historic 1979 visit. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

For those who may have missed it, the Holy Father recited many of the Mass prayers in Polish! The remainder were either recited or 'chanted' in Latin.

The Vatican Radio nun commentator, repeatedly cited the beautiful hymns from toda's liturgy and offered compliments to whoever chose them.

Indeed, throughout most of the Mass, it poured rain. Following the consecration, the clouds dispersed, some rays of sun shone down and the priests distributed communion, with a portion of their shawls covering the cups. This Mass, arranged by Marini (present), was in total conformity with what this pontiff has deemed reverent. It was spiritually moving.

Date: 2006-05-26

Truth Can't Be Relativized, Insists Benedict XVI

275,000 Attend Papal Mass in Warsaw

WARSAW, Poland, MAY 26, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI, on the second day of his trip to Poland, exhorted believers to resist the temptation to remove uncomfortable truths from the Gospel.

The Pope delivered that message today in Warsaw's Pilsudski Square to a crowd of 275,000 people pelted by heavy rains.

The Holy Father recalled that 27 years ago, Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass in that same place on his first pastoral visit to his homeland, which would initiate a spiritual movement of decisive consequences for the Soviet bloc.

The Bishop of Rome dedicated his homily to the profound union between love and truth.

"Many preachers of the Gospel gave their lives specifically because of their faithfulness to the truth of the word of Christ," said the Pontiff.

However, he continued, "as in past centuries, so also today there are people or groups who obscure this centuries-old Tradition, seeking to falsify the Word of Christ and to remove from the Gospel those truths which in their view are too uncomfortable for modern man."

"They try to give the impression that everything is relative," Benedict XVI said. "Yet the Church cannot silence the Spirit of Truth.

"Every Christian is bound to confront his own convictions continually with the teachings of the Gospel and of the Church's Tradition in the effort to remain faithful to the word of Christ, even when it is demanding and, humanly speaking, hard to understand."

The Pope continued: "We must not yield to the temptation of relativism or of a subjectivist and selective interpretation of sacred Scripture. Only the whole truth can open us to adherence to Christ, dead and risen for our salvation."

In the afternoon, the Holy Father traveled by helicopter to Czestochowa to visit the Marian shrine of Jasna Gora and meet with religious and leaders of movements. He arrived in Krakow in the evening, where he will spend the night.

On Saturday, he plans to visit Wadowice, John Paul II's birthplace.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.