Celebrations marking the 1,050th anniversary of Poland becoming a Christian nation and World Youth Day will be the most important events for the country’s Catholic Church this year, Warsaw's archbishop has said.

The main celebrations of the anniversary will take place in the western city of Poznań and nearby Gniezno, which are considered by many to be the cradle of Polish Christianity.

The events celebrating the country's 1050 years of Christianity will be a joint initiative of the Church and government, Archbishop Henryk Hoser said at his first press conference of the year.

Mieszko I, the first Christian ruler of Poland, and his court converted and were baptised on 14 April, 966, marking the beginning of the Christianisation of the nation.

Meanwhile, two-and-a-half to three million people are expected to flock to Kraków, southern Poland, for World Youth Day, created by late Pope John Paul II, which takes place 25-31 July. (ua/pk)