Pope John Paul II has arrived in Krakow where thousands of pilgrims turned out to greet the city's favorite son at the start of what could well be his last papal trip to his homeland.
About 15,000 people waving Polish and Vatican flags crowded Krakow's Balice airport to welcome home the pontiff, including a choir in traditional costumes singing songs from the nearby Tatra mountains, a favorite of the Holy Father.
Up to four million faithful are expected to converge on the former royal capital to attend masses celebrated by the pontiff during his four-day visit to Poland.
The Vatican's yellow-and-white flag and the red-and-white Polish flag lined many of the picturesque cobblestone streets of the former royal capital, while pictures of the pontiff hung in windows as residents welcomed back Karol Wojtyla, who served as their archbishop before being elected pope in 1978.
Pilgrims gathered in front of the pope's residence and final work was being completed on a huge podium in the city's commons for the pope to celebrate mass before an estimated two million faithful on Sunday.
The visit is expected to be a highly emotional one for many Poles, who revere the pope as not only a religious, but moral leader who stirred the nation to peacefully force the communists from power in the 1980s.
AFP