The pilgrimage will culminate with a mass celebrated at the Vatican by Pope Francis on May 17, said Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, head of the Polish Episcopal Conference, the central authority of the Catholic Church in Poland.
"John Paul II is a Polish pope, but he was a pontiff for the whole world. That’s why people from all over the world are invited to Rome for the centenary of the birth of Saint John Paul II,” Gądecki added.
He encouraged dioceses and parishes across Poland to organize pilgrimages to Rome next May.
John Paul II led the Roman Catholic Church from October 16, 1978 until his death on April 2, 2005.
He was a strong supporter of Poland's anti-communist Solidarity movement and is recognised as a key influence in helping to end communist rule in Poland in 1989.
He was the third longest-serving pontiff in history and was declared a saint in 2014.
(pk)
Source: PAP