Hundreds of thousands of people are hearing Pope Benedict the sixteenth celebrate an open-air mass in the Polish capital Warsaw. It's the Pope's first major public appearance on the second day of his tour of this deeply Catholic nation. This report from Adam Easton:

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The crowd broke into applause after he referred in Polish to the historic prayer of his predecessor John Paul. In the same square in 1979 Pope John Paul asked the Holy Spirit to descend and change the face of the land. His prayer inspired the nation to stand up against Communist rule.

Pope Benedict said those words had helped people in many countries regain their freedom. During his visit he has repeatedly paid homage to John Paul, who is already considered as a saint by many in his homeland.

Adam Easton, BBC, Warsaw

Listen to the words

pouring rain
heavy rain

packed full
crowded, full of people

crammed into
filled to excess

deliver
say

broke into applause
clapped their hands repeatedly

referred
mentioned

predecessor
a former holder of an office or position

to stand up against
to fight against

regain
get something back again after being deprived of it

paid homage
expressed respect and reverence

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