The Pope's health is said to have held up well

Tens of thousands of people gathered in the town's port area chanting the Pope's name as he said goodbye.

The visit is the 100th foreign trip of his papacy, and the longest since an 11-day visit to North and Central America last summer.

I remember your sufferings caused by the war, which are still visible on your faces and are affecting your lives Pope John Paul II

The health of the pontiff, who arrived back in Rome on Monday afternoon, is said to have held up well during the trip.

However, he is thought to have suffered from fatigue - all five days of his trip have been marked by unusually high temperatures.

Personal duty

"Thanks to you beloved people of Croatia... you who accepted me with open arms and hearts," the Pope said in his farewell remarks.

Zadar is a strongly nationalist town

"I remember your sufferings caused by the war, which are still visible on your faces and are affecting your lives. I am close to those bearing the tragic consequences of the war."

The crowd responded with chants of "We belong to the Pope, the Pope is ours".

The BBC's David Willey says that, as the first Slav Pope in history, John Paul II feels a personal duty and mission to try to bring a lasting peace to the Balkans.

He chose to end his tour in Zadar, a strongly nationalist town which was subjected to heavy Serb shelling in the 1991-95 war.

But he has also met leaders of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Croatia, 90% of whose inhabitants consider themselves to be Catholic.

Later this month, he plans a brief visit to Bosnia-Hercegovina.

Heatwave

Croatia has been experiencing its hottest summer weather for 100 years.

On Saturday, in the sweltering heat, the Pope preached at an airport Mass attended by 200,000 people near Osijek.

Dozens of pilgrims fainted from the heat and two died of heart attacks.