 Hectic schedule for the Pope, pastoral and political |
Church bells rang out across Croatia to welcome Pope John Paul on the 100th foreign trip of his papacy. He landed on the Adriatic island of Krk to begin a five-day pilgrimage to the republic, a bastion of Roman Catholicism in the Balkans.
Giant numerals depicting '100' hung from a crucifix at the airport and crowds waved flags and banners proclaiming "We love you John Paul".
From Krk he sailed by catamaran over a short stretch of the Adriatic Sea to the city of Rijeka, his base for the visit.
The Pope was then driven through the hilly streets of the city to the seminary where he will stay each night.
The Pope will meet Croatian President Stjepan Mesic in Rijeka before travelling from one end of the republic to the other in a five-day, five-city tour.
The BBC's Brian Barron, in Rijeka, says the church has a growing role in Croatia and a close rapport with the reformist centre-left government.
In his talks with government leaders the pontiff is expected to voice further support for Croatia's application to join the EU - efforts that are opposed by a minority of hardline priests who are Croatian nationalists.
Around 80% of the Croatian population are Roman Catholic. About 500,000 people are expected to attend papal masses in Dubrovnik, Rijeka, Zadar, and the eastern towns of Osijek and Djakovo.
All across Croatia photographs of the Pope have been plastered over billboards and displayed in shop windows, while schools are to be closed for the visit.
Security is also tight, with traffic limited in the cities he is due to visit.
Stamina test
In each of those cities police interviewed all local residents, registered their cars and ordered them to keep their windows closed. People were also told not to use binoculars or cameras in case their lenses were mistaken for gun sights.
The highlight of the trip is expected to be the beatification on Friday near Dubrovnik of Sister Marija Petkovic, who founded the order of the Daughters of Mercy and dedicated her life to children and the poor.
On Saturday in Osijek the Pope will meet leaders of the Orthodox Church in an effort to promote religious tolerance and reconciliation.
The trip promises to test the pontiff's stamina.
He has scaled back his foreign trips in recent years due to ill health, particularly after he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2001.
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