Pope Benedict XVI paid an emotional visit on Saturday to the birthplace of John Paul II and added his voice to the movement urging sainthood for his predecessor.

The stop in Wadowice was the most sentimental part of the Pope's four-day pilgrimage to Poland.

Pope Benedict XVI is presented with a portrait of the late Pope John Paul II in Wadowice, Poland on Saturday.
(Pier Paolo Cito/Associated Press)

Benedict first prayed in the Baroque church where John Paul was baptized. Then he visited the former pope's childhood home — which has now been converted to a museum — to gaze at photos documenting his boyhood.

Visits shrines

The Pope's intinerary included a visit to two shrines, which were important places of prayer for John Paul II.

Benedict later spoke to about 30,000 people who gathered in the town's square, telling them he was praying that their favourite son "may soon be elevated to the glory of the altars."

On Sunday morning in Krakow, the German-born pontiff will hold mass for an expected 1.5 million worshippers.

He will then visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi death camp before returning to Rome.