Pope Benedict XVI has spoken to thousands of people gathered to mark the first anniversary of the death of John Paul II. Officials say many of the pilgrims who came to St Peter’s Square in the Vatican were from Poland, the late Pope’s home country. It is same place where pilgrims held a vigil of prayer during John Paul’s last hours. An anniversary mass has also been celebrated in Krakov in Poland, where John Paul was a bishop before leaving to become Pope in 1978. Church dignataries were joined by members of the Polish government.

Copyright © 2012 euronews