Europe

Pope visits sites tied to Polish saints in Krakow

Associated Press
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Pope Francis, center, attends the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) with youths participating in World Youth Days, in Blonie Park, Krakow, Poland, Friday, July 29, 2016. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) (The Associated Press)

Pope Francis greets faithful as he arrives at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow, Poland, Saturday, July 30, 2016, on the fourth day of his visit to Poland. (AP Photo/Alik Keplicz) (The Associated Press)

Pope Francis greets faithful as he arrives at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow, Poland, Saturday, July 30, 2016, on the fourth day of his visit to Poland. (AP Photo/Alik Keplicz) (The Associated Press)

Pope Francis has prayed at the Divine Mercy Sanctuary in Lagiewniki as he begins a day of religious ceremonies during a visit to Poland.

Nuns and priests, singing and waving little banners, greeted the pope as he entered the church in the Krakow district.

He then prayed before the chapel of St. Faustina, a Polish mystic who was canonized under Pope John Paul II, himself now also a saint.

Later he will visit the Sanctuary of St. John Paul II, near the Lagiewniki shrine, consecrated in 2013. The lower church houses the relics of John Paul, while his body is entombed inside St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.

Francis is taking part in World Youth Day, a global celebration of young Catholics, during his five-day visit to Poland.