|TOP|The head of the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI has begun a four-day tour of Poland this week.

During his visit to Poland, the birthplace of his predecessor John Paul II, he will celebrate Mass in Warsaw, as well as visiting a Nazi German death camp in Auschwitz on Sunday. Pope Benedict is scheduled to pray for reconciliation between nations and faiths at the place where more than a million people, mostly Jews, died.

As the pope arrived at the airport in Poland, the nation’s president, Lech Kaczynski, and Cardinal Josef Glemp offered him a warm welcome, whilst a military band played anthems and performed marches in front of an adoring crowd waving Polish and Vatican flags.

Following Malta, Poland is arguably the most devoutly Catholic nation in all Europe, with more than half the population attending church services regularly.

|AD|As a close personal friend of former pope, John Paul II, Benedict is likely to be received warmly. Since his election, over a year ago now, Pope Benedict has made visits to his native Germany, as well as southern Italy.

“Poland is his choice, the first trip he scheduled,” the Polish ambassador to the Holy See said last week.

The Pope, who already speaks fluent French, English, Italian, Spanish and Latin, is said to have taken intensive Polish lessons.

As the Pope celebrates Mass Friday, more than a million people are expected in the city’s Pilsudski Square.

Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz said, “We must be strong in the faith.”

During the four-day visit, Pope Benedict is also expected to go to his predecessor’s birthplace to pay tribute to John Paul.