KRAKOW, Poland (AP) - Addressing more than 2 million faithful gathered for Poland's largest open-air Mass ever, Pope John Paul II warned on Sunday of dangers posed when man "puts himself in God's place."
Modern man often "lives as if God does not exist," the pope warned, "and even puts himself in God's place," referring to genetic engineering and euthanasia.
"He claims for himself the creator's right to interfere in the mystery of human life. He wishes to determine human life through genetic manipulation and establish the limit of death," John Paul said.
The pontiff spoke from a dais overlooking throngs who cheered "You are home" after he was raised to the altar by a lift.
Although clearly heartened by the outpouring on his ninth visit to his homeland, the pope tired visibly during the Mass, which included two papal addresses and the beatification of three Polish priests and a nun. By the end of the three-hour service, the 82-year-old pontiff's voice grew more fragile and his hands more shaky.
About a half mile from the papal Mass, bomb squads cleared a suspicious item from the main Market Square, but police said it turned out to be an abandoned cash box containing no explosives.
"There is no threat. It was a routine check," said national police spokesman Pawel Biedziak.
The pope drove through the Market Square about an hour after the box was removed, stopping briefly at St. Mary's Basilica.
Considered by Poles a moral compass who guided them through the violent crackdown on the Solidarity labor movement and out of communism, the pope asked his countrymen not to separate their faith from their politics.
"When the noisy propaganda of liberalism, of freedom without truth or responsibility, grows stronger in our country too, the shepherds of the church cannot fail to proclaim the one fail-proof philosophy of freedom, which is the truth of the cross of Christ," the pope said.
The message reaches a nation increasingly soured on a capitalist system that has created social and economic disparities, and plays into growing sentiments among conservative Catholics that political decisions on issues such as abortion and the integration of Poland with western Europe will spoil their country.
The crowd responded to his homily with chants of "Thank you."
Overflowing the vast Blonia meadows, Polish faithful arrived throughout the night to see their favorite son on what many fear will be his last pilgrimage home.
As John Paul circled the crowd in the popemobile, pilgrims sang choruses of "Poland loves you, Krakow loves you," a song written for a planned Mass at the meadows in 1999 that the pope canceled because of a sudden flu.
Many pilgrims traveled hours in small parish groups on buses and trains for the Mass, carrying food and bedrolls to catch a few hours sleep after arriving in the early morning hours. Some strummed guitars, creating a festival atmosphere as they streamed past vendors grilling meats and selling stools and papal souvenirs.
"I have constantly tears in my eyes today. I'm afraid I'll cry when I see him passing. It's such a distinction from God that the pope is Polish," said Magda Fidej, 52, from Krakow.
The pope's spirits appeared strengthened by his journey back to Krakow, buoyed by memories and the tens of thousands pilgrims who have greeted him in the medieval capital where he lived for 40 years.
On Saturday, John Paul slept in his old bed, visited his old street and drove by the quarry, no longer used, where he labored during the Nazi occupation.
His nostalgic journey continues Sunday with a visit to the graves of his parents and brother — all dead more than half a century — and private prayers at the Wawel Cathedral where he said his first Mass as a priest in 1946.
"He has fond memories of his life here," Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said. "Behind every corner is a memory."
The elderly pope's condition appeared to be on everyone's minds.
"Despite old age, despite death, there is youth in God and this is what I wish you all — the youth of Krakow, of Poland and the world," John Paul told cheering faithful who waited below the window of his residence a second night Saturday for a glimpse of the pontiff.
Poles have made their feelings about their beloved native son clear, replying to his greeting with the traditional Polish song "Sto Lat," or "May he live 100 years."
"The visit to Poland — the visit to his home — is a medicine, an injection of energy, which the Holy Father needs," Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski said after meeting with the pope.
"Intellectually, (he is) in excellent shape," the president said.
The opinion was shared by many Poles who are weary of speculation that the pope would step down because of his health. Many said that despite his many ailments, hunched appearance and sometimes slurred speech, John Paul appeared to be thriving in his native environment.
"I heard him during arrival and it was the same strong voice that I have known for years," said Elzbieta Krawczykiewicz, a retired pharmacist.