WARSAW,
May 25, 2006 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Poland welcomed
the first visit by Pope Benedict XVI to the country which started
Thursday, May 25, with a ban on racy ads and liquor sales.
Polish
tabloid newspapers refrained from publishing the usual photos of
topless models on their back pages, Reuters reported.
Bars
in the capital Warsaw will be either closed or serving only low
alcohol content beer during the pontiff's five-day visit to Poland,
the homeland of his predecessor John Paul II.
Beata
Zmijewska, who works at the government press center, said the alcohol
sale ban "is about properly participating in Pope Benedict's
pilgrimage."
Polish
state television has also decided to shy away from broadcasting ads
for alcohol, contraceptives or lingerie.
Racy
ads in the streets were either removed or covered.
An
eye-catching outdoor poster for an anti-cellulite cream was covered up
after a conservative group complained that the sight of a woman's bare
backside and thigh was offensive.
"We
acknowledged this request to respect the feelings of the
faithful," said Pierre Plassard, director of L'Oreal Polska,
explaining why his company had covered up the ad.
Poland
had imposed similar bans during Pope Paul's visits to the
overwhelmingly Roman Catholic country.
Footsteps
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Thousands of Poles lined the streets to welcome the pope. (Reuters)
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Benedict
is set to retrace the steps of his predecessor during his trip to
Poland, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
"I
have come to follow in the footsteps of John Paul II, along the path
of his life," he said in Polish to cheers from the crowd of
airport staff and dignitaries on hand to greet him.
The
pontiff is set to visit cities such as Warsaw and Krakow and shrines
that were central to Pope Paul's life in Poland and trips back as
pope.
"This
is not just a sentimental journey, but a journey of faith," he
added in his opening remarks.
Thousands
of Poles lined the streets of the capital to welcome the pontiff.
The
first day of the papal visit was to be devoted mainly to meetings with
Polish officials and members of the clergy.
On
Friday, May 26, the pope will lead a huge open-air mass in Warsaw's
central Pilsudski Square, which is expected to draw around one million
people.
