In his time, Pope John Paul II has made his share of dramatic entrances. Yet as he cruised into the port of Rijeka aboard the Jadrolinija catamaran, Judita, at the start of an epoch-marking 100th overseas pastoral visit yesterday evening, it was hard to imagine one more cinematic.
To the accompaniment of a heavy security presence and cheering crowds, and against the backdrop of the jagged Croatian coastline on a warm Adriatic evening, the 83-year-old Pope was once again defying his all-too-obviously frail health to walk proudly across the world stage.
In truth, the Pope's waterbound arrival on the mainland of Croatia had followed his airborne arrival from Rome on the island of Krk, just off the Croatia coast, one hour earlier. There, as always these days, he had exited the Alitalia papal jet via a lift discreetly placed out of view on the far side of the aircraft. From there, the Pope transferred to his mini-popemobile, a sort of mechanised dais that transported him across the airport tarmac, thus saving him the effort of a long protocol-imposed walk.
Visibly frustrated by his lack of mobility, John Paul, speaking in Croat, delivered a vigorous speech of greeting, by way of response to the Croatian state President, Mr Stjepan Mesic.
Given that, at least arguably, nothing has so much identified this 25-year-long pontificate as John Paul's relentless globetrotting, this 100th visit marks a moment both for reflection and for count-taking.
Vatican analysts assure us that the Pope's visits to 129 countries have seen him clock up 1,160,133 km, or the equivalent of 29 times around the world. Furthermore, those same mathematical boffins have calculated that his travelling has kept him away from the Vatican for 572 days, or almost two years.
This current visit, the third by the Pope to Croatia following those of 1994 and 1998, is unlikely to have the emotional, political or sociological impact of previous "historic" visits.
For all that, the warmth of welcome afforded the Pope in Rijeka last night would suggest that Croatians will willingly seize the opportunity to once more greet their fellow Slav while at the same time enjoying a few days at the centre of world media attention.