John Paul II, almost 20% of his pontificate spent by traveling. He has traveled 1 650 900 km, which is equivalent to thirty laps around the Earth’s equator. He went on 104 journeys across the world, he has been to 129 countries. He delivered 3288 homilies and speeches to the faithful. He has developed a custom, since his declining health made it impossible for him  to kneel and kiss the ground of each new country he visited. Under his influence many dictatorships have fallen. He left behind the peace and the trace of love for one’s neighbor. The pontificate of John Paul II changed the course of world history.

For many weeks, in the family home of Karol Wojtyła, the symbolic amount of ground has been collected from the places where the Pope John Paul II made the pilgrimages.

The recent piece of ground that has been sent is the ground from Peru, where John Paul II was twice, in 1985 and in 1988, during his Apostolic Visit. The Pope visited Peru in a period of communism and terror facing towards the society. The Peruvians emphasize the John Paul II’s intransigence against the regime of that time.

The ground they sent, comes from the Andahuaylillas area, where the Missionaries of the Poor Servants of the Third World undertake the human and spiritual education of poor and abandoned children in the Third World, together with the evangelization of large poor areas.

The ground from Peru has joined the ground from: Colombia, the Philippines, Ghana, Chicago, Ephesus, and dozens of others from around the world, in order to enrich the collections of the Museum – Family Home of Pope John Paul II. The grounds will be in permanent exhibition in the area dedicated to the papal pilgrimages.