Jean McConnell For BBC Scotland's news website

In 1982, he became the first Pope to visit the country and his appearance brought hundreds of thousands of people to Bellahouston Park to hear his address.

Jean McConnell, 60, from Glasgow, outlines her recollection of the day.

My husband and I, along with our four young children, embarked on an unforgettable day with 300,000 other people at Bellahouston Park when we witnessed the first Papal visit to Scotland.

It's a day that even now, almost 23 years ago, still remains as vivid and clear that it feels like only yesterday we sat in the sunshine and celebrated an extraordinary mass in the park.

Thousands flocked to Bellahouston Park to hear the Pope's address

In truth, we could only hear some of the service and could see even less, but it was enough.

The atmosphere was one of peace, serenity and unity, and not only among the Catholic community.

Friends and neighbours not of the same faith also commented on the spirit of harmony and reconciliation that engulfed the city and to me that reflects the message that the Pope brought with him.

A man of the people, John Paul II made it his role to reach out to society not only through prayer and reflection but, more importantly, through action.

It was his manner in which he reached out to the most vulnerable in our society that still touches me

His desire to communicate with people in their own tongue, to reach out to them and to take his message personally makes him the most proactive Pope we have ever known, a fact reflected in the many countries like Scotland and Ireland who had never had a Papal visit before he assumed the role.

And it was the manner in which he reached out to the most vulnerable in our society that still touches me.

'Philosophy lives on'

The youth, the sick, the poor and the disabled always had a place in the Pope's heart and his encouragement to welcome them into the Catholic Church is one of the most important messages that he will leave.

My husband and I holidayed in Rome two years ago and the Pope we saw when we gathered in St Peter's Square was a frail imitation of the man who had blessed us at Bellahouston Park.

The Pope's health is failing

On the southside of Glasgow we couldn't contain our joy when he travelled among us.

In Rome, we found it difficult to hide our sadness as poor health and old age ate away at him.

Yet, for all his palpable illness and loss of strength was evident, his message had not diminished.

And now, when we look at the war in Iraq, the poverty around us and the inadequate distribution of wealth and resources in the world, his message has never been more prevalent.

Close to drawing his last breathe, the Pope may be set to leave us, but his philosophy lives on.