Warsaw, Poland, Apr 24, 2005 / 22:00 pm
City officials in Warsaw, Poland, have announced plans to open a museum and institute on the life and teachings of the late Pope John Paul II. Warsaw mayor Lech Kaczynski, who spoke with the Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza, made the announcement on Saturday.
According to the mayor, the museum and institute will be housed in the Saksi Palace, which was built by the Germans during World War II.
At the beginning of his pontificate, Pope John Paul II celebrated a Mass at the palace, located in the Pilsudski barrio. More than a million Poles defied Communist authorities and came out to see the Pope.
“The rebuilt Saski Palace will be a prestigious building,” said Kaczynski. “It will be an ideal place for the Institute of Reflection” on the John Paul II, he added.