Krakow, JUNE 11: There was not much politics in Pope John Paul II's message during this trip home, no rallying cries like the one that energized Poles challenging the Communist regime during his first Papal visit in 1979.Instead, the Pontiff came to Poland with a plea for unity and adherence to ``perennial values'' as the newly Democratic country grapples with unemployment, abortion and the pace of economic reforms.

Now that he's gone, the question is whether Poland's ruling former Communists and the Opposition right-wing, led by Solidarity, will start working together, or revert to their usual sniping and infighting as the September parliamentary elections approach.

``The Holy Father came to unite and build,'' said Bishop Tadeusz Pieronek, secretary of Poland's Roman Catholic episcopate. The Pope left politics for politicians.''

The 77-year-old Pope returned to Rome on Tuesday night, after touring 12 cities in 11 days on his seventh trip home.

``I am convinced that Poles will find in themselves the wisdom and perseverance necessary for building a just Poland,'' John Paul said in his farewell address.

Politicians and commentators, even those who disagree with the Pope on ideological grounds, agreed that the visit has reduced political tensions, which peaked in the fight over the nation's new, post-Communist constitution.The charter, supported by the leftists and criticized as too liberal by the Opposition along with the Catholic bishops, was approved by a narrow margin in a referendum last month.

Although Papal teachings are close to many right-wing groups, including Solidarity, John Paul refrained from showing any clear support for anyone before the parliamentary elections. Both Solidarity leaders and former Communists, including President Aleksander Kwasniewksi, attended services during the visit. The Pope welcomed them all.

In meeting with Prime Minister Wlodzimierz Ximoszewicz on Sunday, John Paul refrained from touching on the most painful issue between the government and the church: A treaty with the Vatican defining church-state relations.The Pope has publicly called on the government to step up efforts to ease the most painful side-effects of market reforms launched after the Communists were toppled in 1989. Unemployment stands at 13 per cent and poverty is worsening, especially among the elderly. Former President Lech Walesa, the Solidarity hero ousted by the voters in 1995, said the Pope's theme -- that Poland is a Catholic nation and should hold on to those roots -- goes back to his first visits, before the fall of Communism.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.