In this place in 1979 John Paul II spoke words of great historical significance:

I call, I, a son of the Polish soil and I, John Paul II, pope, I call from the depths of this millennium, on the eve of the holiday of the Descent, I call together with all of you: [Lord,] let Your Spirit come down and renew the face of the earth. [And of] this land. These words spoken in Warsaw were one of the ignitors of the Solidarity revolution whose wave subsequently swept communism away from all of Central Europe.