WARSAW, Poland — Some 80,000 Poles are expected to travel to Rome later this week for the beatification of Polish-born Pope John Paul II, officials said Tuesday.

Some 35,000 Poles and 500 groups have formally registered to make the trip for Sunday’s ceremonies, the Office for Polish Pilgrims in Rome told the Polish Press Agency. The bulk of the pilgrims, however, are expected to travel on their own or in unregistered groups.

Among those attending will be some 800 members of the trade union Solidarity, who will travel to Rome on Friday.

John Paul II had been a supporter of Solidarity when it protested against communism in the 1980s.

President Bronislaw Komorowski and Prime Minister Donald Tusk will also be in Rome and will attend the beatification Mass at the Vatican.

Most parliamentarians will be flown to the ceremonies on a government jet.

Members of the conservative opposition party Law and Justice are to travel separately on by train.

The beatification process is the first step on the path to sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church.

Karol Wojtyla was born in the Polish town of Wadowice on May 18, 1920. He became pope in 1978.