Posted on 12/24/2003 4:20:36 PM PST by Creamer
Pope Insists On Celebrating Mass.
VATICAN CITY, Dec. 24, 2003.
The Vatican has dropped two traditional papal events — the ordination of bishops Jan. 6 and baptisms on Jan. 11 — to ease up on John Paul's schedule.
With a creche behind him, the pope reads his speech to cardinals and bishops for the traditional exchange of Christmas greetings earlier this week (Photo: AP) .
(AP) Pope John Paul II ushered in the Christmas holiday Wednesday, lighting a candle for peace before celebrating midnight Mass in St. Peter's Basilica in a test of his frail health.
The 83-year-old pope cut back his holiday activities only slightly, insisting on celebrating the Mass in a St. Peter's Basilica packed with pilgrims and tourists. .
"The pope suffers physically, as you can see, but at the same time he is very strong spiritually," Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, one of John Paul's closest advisers, told Vatican Radio this week. .
Hours before the pontiff celebrated the Mass, the Vatican's newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, headlined its holiday edition: "Christmas 2003, a cry for peace." .
"Before the mystery of Bethlehem the hope of the world is reborn," the newspaper said. .
The pope was a staunch opponent of the U.S.-led war in Iraq and criticized the decision to go ahead without U.N. authorization. In a recent message, he called for a renewed respect for international law and addressed the dangers of terrorism and the need for reform of international law to combat it. .
In recent weeks, amid reports that churches could become terrorist targets, security has been tightened around the Vatican. Italian police guarded the perimeter of the vast St. Peter's Square and pilgrims entering the basilica passed through metal detectors. .
In the late afternoon, the Vatican unveiled a life-size Nativity scene — next to a 100-foot Christmas tree — in the center of the square, depicting the birth of Christ in a Bethlehem manger. American Cardinal Edmund Szoka, governor of Vatican City, joined in the singing of "White Christmas." .
Shortly afterward, John Paul came to his apartment window above the square, blessed the crowd and lit a candle in a vigil for peace. .
In his homily, the pope decried, "Too much blood is still being shed on earth! Too much violence and too many conflicts trouble the peaceful coexistence of nations!" .
"You come to bring us peace," John Paul said of the baby Jesus. "You are our peace!" .
"O Holy Night, so long awaited, which has united God and man for ever!" John Paul said. "You rekindle our hope. You fill us with ecstatic wonder. You assure us of the triumph of love over hatred, of life over death." .
John Paul suffers from Parkinson's disease and knee and hip ailments, making it difficult for him to read his speeches or to stand or walk.
Yet he has made few changes in his traditional schedule. At noontime on Christmas Day, he will deliver his usual holiday "Urbi et Orbi" message — Latin for "To the City and the World" — and Christmas greetings in various languages.
John Paul is also scheduled to lead New Year's Eve prayers Dec. 31 in St. Peter's and preside at Mass in the basilica New Year's Day.
The Vatican, however, has dropped two traditional papal events — the ordination of bishops Jan. 6 and baptisms on Jan. 11 — to ease up on John Paul's schedule.
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What a great Christmas blessing for peace lovers everywhere!!!
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