Rome Bureau Chief Wilton Wynn, who traveled with Pope John Paul II through Poland for this week's cover story, is no stranger to papal tours. He flew twice with Pope Paul VI and had a chat with John Paul II on the new Pontiffs trip to Mexico last January. Wynn reports great differences between the two as air passengers. "Pope Paul established the habit of visiting the press section during each flight," recalls Wynn. "But he was reserved and a bit shy. He would shake each newsman's hand, murmur a greeting, and then return to his compartment." But when John Paul II meets the press, he is outgoing and garrulous. On the flight from Rome to Warsaw, the Pope fielded inquiries in six languages (English, German, Polish, Spanish, Italian, French) and managed a brief conversation with Wynn (in English, though the correspondent also speaks Italian and Arabic). "I touched his arm to get his attention," recounts Wynn. "Without looking--and typical of the personal warmth he exudes --John Paul grasped my hand, turned to me and gave me a warm smile as if we were old friends."

Covering the papal newsmaker on the ground proved a bit more challenging; the Pope went by helicopter to all stops, while reporters had to follow by car. Wynn and Eastern Europe Correspondent Barry Kalb devised a system of "leapfrogging" the papal party. One would spend a day covering the Pope, while the other drove to the next destination and saw to all the complicated logistical and bureaucratic arrangements the trip required.

Says Kalb, who joined TIME last December after serving with CBS News in Hong Kong: "I spent the past three years as a China watcher, so I had some idea of how the official Communist mind works." Kalb was not prepared, however, for the major role that religion plays in Poland. "Here is 1,000 years of almost unbroken living tradition," he says. "It is easy to see how the church, with its music and ritual, could have become such a powerful attraction for the Poles." Wynn and Kalb also found it easy to see why Pope John Paul II has become such a powerful attraction for journalists. Says Wynn:

"You never know what he will do next. Almost daily he says or does something you cannot ignore. He is a good conversationalist, full of anecdotes and humorous sayings."

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