Krakow , Poland ( CNN ) -- For many Poles , John Paul II 's beatification simply confirms what they already knew . They thought him a saint already , the very fact of his papacy a blessing for Poland . At the Sanctuary for Divine Mercy in Lagiewniki , Krakow , around 50,000 people braved the rain to watch the beatification ceremony live from the Vatican . The organizers had expected higher turnout in Krakow . Many brought camping equipment , deck chairs and packed lunches . Crowds jam Vatican for beatification . It 's Karol Wojtyla 's role in the fall of communism that is his true miracle for many people in Poland . `` During his first visit in Poland , he said this famous sentence , 'Let the Holy Spirit come and renew this land , ' `` Renata Kaszuba said . `` So he was encouraging the fall of communism , not through blood and war , but through the message that God is the most important one . '' There were many here who were too young to remember communism . But they feel their lives were touched , even transformed , by their Polish pope . One Krakow student said : `` It 's a great source of pride for us to have another Pole blessed . I did n't have the chance to attend a Mass celebrated by the pope , but I watched his visits on television . '' `` I do n't even know how to describe it , '' said another . `` He 's like a second father for me . '' In Krakow 's main market square , there 's a huge photo exhibition devoted to John Paul II . iReport : Catholics honor John Paul II in Romania . Portraits as he overlooks his beloved Tatra Mountains or aerial shots of Mass attended by hundreds of thousands in Krakow 's Blonia meadow . Children pose beside giant photos of a pope they 'll never know . But his spirit lives on in the collective memory of the Polish nation . There are some people who criticize the rush to beatification or who find fault in the policies of John Paul II 's papacy , but you wo n't find them here .
About 50,000 people brave rain in Krakow to watch beatification ceremony at Vatican . Pope Francis celebrates Mass for the first time since his election as pontiff on Saturday morning before a crowd of about 40,000 Catholics and pilgrims from around world. Krakow student : ` ` It 's a great source of pride for us to have another Pole blessed ''