Former president Aleksander Kwasniewski met John Paul II 22 times when he was in office. Here, in an exclusive interview with Polish Radio’s English Section he recalls his audiences with the Polish Pope on the day he is Beatified.

“All of these meeting were very special and very moving,” Aleksander Kwasniewski tells our reporter Michal Kubicki.

“The last meetings were very difficult,” he says.

“The Pope was very sick. He had a problem with speaking, and he was a man of communication. That was his life and he loved it. He had special skills at communication. So he was frustrated and angry. But still he controlled our talks. ” (pg)