Rome (AsiaNews) – The largest ever pilgrimage to Rome in the history of Russian Catholics starts today. Around 150 believers are coming from Moscow; their trip will round off the year dedicated to the commemoration of John Paul II. Mgr Thaddeus Kondrusiewicz, archbishop of the Mother of God in Moscow, is one of the pilgrims.

The bishop joined the pilgrimage last year too, when it took place in mid-May. He had brought 40 pilgrims to Rome then, along with three priests from Moscow, Kaliningrad, Smolensk, Ryazan and Yaroslav.

For most of the pilgrims, this is the first visit to Rome and all have expressed a strong desire to see the Pope. "Praying together with him is the dream of a lifetime," they say.

The faithful will also bear gifts for the pontiff: an antique Russian icon from the XVIII century and a hand-made liturgical ornate. Tomorrow, they will participate in a mass in the crypt of the Basilica of St Peter. On 17 May, they plan to attend the general audience with Benedict XVI.

Those who have not managed to come as far as Rome have still managed to find a way of expressing their feelings, to send their greetings and to commemorate the memory of John Paul II from Russia. The communities of the archdiocese of the Mother of God have gathered many signatures on a ribbon with the colours of the Russian flag (white, blue and red), as a mark of their respect for the Pope. Another initiative is the collection of testimonies from across the country for the beatification of John Paul II. The idea came from Mgr Angelo Comastri, archpriest of St Peter's Basilica. He said the notes would be turned over to the postulator of the beatification cause of John Paul II, Mgr Slawomir Oder.

"They are all requests for graces, especially for families. Pope John Paul is the pope of the family," he said. "One mother included a photograph of her baby who was born with a deformed mouth, and she asked the pope to intercede with God so that the surgery would go well, without complications."

Mgr Oder said that although the notes may not include information about alleged miracles attributed to the deceased pontiff, they are anyhow an important testimony about his life, and "further proof about the required 'fame of holiness' for the canonization process."