Situated on Wawel Hill, just across from the city’s historic Wawel cathedral, is a statue of Krakow’s most beloved resident, Pope John Paul II. I was wondering why this spot was chosen and a little research subsequently showed why.
Karol Jozef Wojtyla, who became Pope John Paul II in 1978, performed his first Mass as a priest in the Crypt of St. Leonard at the Wawel Cathedral in 1946. He was also ordained as Krakow’s auxiliary bishop in the Cathedral in 1958.
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The statue is a reasonable likeness of the man during his final years, but for me it did not capture the spirit of John Paul II, who was a person of consequence. But one of several monuments to the Pope scattered around Krakow.
