vowing to continue to lead the 1.1 billion strong Catholic church from his sickbed if necessary.
"Even from here in the hospital, among other sick people I continue to serve the Church and all humanity," he said earlier in a message read out on his behalf by an aide.
Sounding hoarse and barely audible, the pontiff only managed to say the final lines of the Angelus blessing during his first public appearance since he was rushed to Rome’s Gmelli hospital Tuesday, February 1, with the flu and breathing difficulties. "Long live the pope!", shouted thousands of pilgrims when he appeared at the window of his 10th floor hospital room and waved to the crowd.
"He is getting better," a Vatican Radio official told BosNewsLife, despite his apparent difficulties. His message was broadcast via a special video link to nearby St. Peter’s Square where Catholics fought back tears as they watched the clearly struggling pontiff who led their church for nearly 27 years.
Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls dismissed as "nonsense" suggestions in Italian media that a pre-recorded tape was used to mask the pope’s marked difficulty in speaking, news reports said. Vatican watchers said the pope likely received the assistance of a pre-recorded tape played by Vatican audio technicians when it became clear he had not recovered sufficiently well to be able to speak.
MISSING ‘ASH WEDNESDAY’
Adding to concern about his health are reports that for the first time in his long reign, the pope will miss the Ash Wednesday prayer service in St Peter’s Square this week, marking the start of Lent. The Vatican has suggested he will remain hospitalized for at least several more days. However "I have been helped with love and care by doctors nurses and health workers, who I thank from my heart," said the pope as he tried to calm down concerned Catholics.
He thanked people around the world for their prayers which he stressed was "something that during these days I feel with particular intensity." However Pope John Paul also made it clear he did not want to focus all attention on his own suffering as Sunday, February 6, marked the ‘Day for Life’ in Italy, a pro-life initiative.
The pope urged people "to trust in the life of children not yet born, [the life they] silently cry out for." He argued that "so many children who are without families are asking for trust so that they can find a home through adoption and temporary care."
DIGNITY OF SUFFERING
Catholic officials have said they see the "dignity" with which the church leader deals with his health problems as an inspiration for those suffering from long illnesses to keep their faith and hope in Jesus Christ, who the Bible claims suffered and died at a cross before rising from the death on the third day.
The Vatican newspaper, Osservatore Romano, said on Saturday that the pope "who led the Church into the Third Millennium will continue to guide her with the strength of his suffering", the Reuters news agency observed.
The pope’s speech had already grown slurred and often incomprehensible in recent months as a result of the progress of Parkinson’s disease, Vatican watchers said. He is believed to have suffered a laryngo-spasm last week, a closure of the larynx that blocks the passage of air to the lungs, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported. There have been concerns that he could develop pneumonia.
But "the fact that the pope showed himself today augurs well for the future. That means that we can feel reassured. It’s a good sign," Vatican bishop Francesco Lambiasi told reporters outside the Gemelli hospital. The Vatican was due to give another medical update Monday, the first since Friday, which said his health had improved.
(With Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent, BosNewsLife News Center, reports from Rome and Vatican City)
