Pope John Paul II Memorial Vandalized In Krakow, Poland, Ahead Of Canonization

Pope John Paul II Memorial Vandalized In Poland
Poland, Krakow, Statue of Pope John Paul II 1920 - 2005 the first Polish Pope. Detail of head and shoulders. (Photo by: Eye Ubiquitous/UIG via Getty Images)
Poland, Krakow, Statue of Pope John Paul II 1920 - 2005 the first Polish Pope. Detail of head and shoulders. (Photo by: Eye Ubiquitous/UIG via Getty Images)

KRAKOW, Poland April 24 (Reuters) - Vandals daubed paint across a stone memorial commemorating the late Pope John Paul II in his home region of southern Poland on Wednesday, days before he is to be made a saint.

Police fenced off the memorial in the centre of Krakow as municipal workers tried to remove the paint, a Reuters reporter said. Officers did not comment on who might have been responsible, or why they committed the act of vandalism.

John Paul, who led the Roman Catholic Church from 1978 until his death in 2005, will be canonised on Sunday and remains for many Catholics a towering model of faith and commitment.

Many in his home country consider the former pope to be one of the greatest Poles to have lived. But he is not universally admired in Polish society and some liberals believe he held back progress on issues such as contraception, abortion and homosexuality.

He lived in Krakow before he was elected pope. (Reporting by Wojciech Zurawski; Writing by Adrian Krajewski; Editing by Christian Lowe and Andrew Heavens)

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