And my heart was, and never stopped being, close to You, close to this city, this heritage, to my Polish Rome. /.../ Krakow, since my youngest days, my childhood years, has been to me a unique synthesis of all things Polish and Christian. It has always spoken to me about the great past of my Homeland, always expressed its history with utmost assurance. John Paul II, Krakow, April 6th, 1979