Pope John Paul II told his fellow Poles today that he hopes the country will join the European Union while still embracing Christian values.
"I do hope that by cherishing those values the Polish nation, which has belonged in Europe for centuries, will find its due place in the structures of the European Union," he said at the end of a four-day visit.
Public opinion polls show an overwhelming majority of Poles favor joining the EU, but the government had hoped he would support membership in order to convince some Catholics concerned about the EU's secular nature.
Overwhelmingly Catholic Poland is in line to wrap up membership talks this year to be ready to join the European bloc in 2004 after a public referendum scheduled for next year.
John Paul said he hoped his homeland "not only will not lose its own identity, but will enrich this continent and the whole world with this (Christian) tradition."
President Mr Aleksander Kwasniewski and Prime Minister Mr Leszek Miller both discussed Poland's EU bid with the pope in seperate meetings with the pontiff on Saturday.
Kwasniewski warmly thanked the pope for his support for Poland's "historic opportunity" of EU membership, while government spokesman Mr Michal Tober said his support was extremely important.
He said the statements by the pope and Poland's bishops in support of EU enlargement showed the openness of the Catholic church and an understanding of the needs of the Polish state.
The pope insisted that those espousing Catholic social ethics cannot remain indifferent to the unemployment and poverty which have accompanied the transition from communism to capitalism.
"The Church has always reminded society that a positive future cannot be built on the impoverishment of man, on injustice, on the suffering of our neighbours," he said.
While Poland experienced strong growth for many years, the economy is now in the doldrums, as are the spirits of many Poles with unemployment now soaring to nearly one in five people.
The pope said on Friday he shared the suffering of those left behind during the country's transformation, but delivered a message of hope for Poland, which he said was about to enter new era of prosperity.
AFP