As thousands of Poles make plans to travel to Rome for the May
1 beatification of their countryman, Pope John Paul II, some are
already leaving - on foot.
Two men on Thursday began the 900 mile
(1,500 kilometer) journey in southwestern Poland, planning to walk down
Europe's roads and across fields.
One of them, Pawel Bibulowicz, a
21-year-old hospice volunteer, told The Associated Press that he wants
to show that the pope's teachings have not been forgotten.
His
companion, 61-year-old tourist guide Andrzej Kofluk, says two of his
friends are already in Austria, having set out on foot in February.
John Paul, born Karol Wojtyla in Poland, was pope from 1978-2005 and is greatly loved in his homeland.