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CNN Live Today

Pope's Frail Health Draws Attention

Aired May 27, 2002 - 10:10   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KRIS OSBORN, CNN ANCHOR: Now, we move to a developing story in Rome, where the pope's frail health is, once again, drawing attention. But now it's also forcing an acknowledgment from the Vatican. Church leaders now say the pope's frail condition may force stricter limits on his travels.

CNN's Rome bureau chief Alessio Vinci has the latest. Hello, and how are you doing, Alessio?

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Kris.

Well, Pope John Paul II returned last night from a grueling five- day trip which took him to the former Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan and then to the republic of Bulgaria. This was a long trip for the ailing pope. During his last day, he performed a mass in central Plovdiv, which is Bulgaria's second largest city. He was visibly tired there. He could barely keep his body up. His speech was slurred. He was really breathing really heavily.

Pope John Paul II suffering from a series of ailments, including symptoms of Parkinson's disease. He has an arthritic knee, a bad hip and his right shoulder also hurt very much. All this making it very difficult for him and very painful for him to travel and to work. And the question, of course, inside the Vatican now is for how long the pope will be able to continue to travel so much is one -- he is the most troubled pope ever. He has made 96 trips so far in his 23-year Papacy.

And Vatican officials now are beginning to admit and to say that the pope could in the next few months curtail some of his travel that he has already made public. He is scheduled to travel to Canada for World Youth Day at the end of July. That trip followed by Canada, by Guatemala and Mexico. He has also announced another trip to Poland, his ninth trip to Poland, to his native country of Poland by the mid of August. And there is talk of yet another trip to Croatia in September.

Now, Vatican officials are saying that all of those trips have been confirmed. They are not canceling them. They are, however, saying that for the time being, the only trip that is for sure going to take place is the trip to Canada for World Youth Day. The dramatic difference on the pope's health, we compare this trip to the last one we took with him in September to another Soviet Republic of Armenia. For the first time, the pope had to be taken off an on (ph) plane using a cargo lift, similar to the one that is being used to bring food and beverages on top of planes. And for the first time, the pope could not finish his speeches in their entirety. He could only read a few sentences, and then a priest or a local interpreter had to finish the speeches for him.

Also for the first time on an international trip, we saw the pope moving around on a platform pushed by aides. We've seen this platform used for quite some time here at the Vatican, but it is the first time that this platform made its appearance on the public -- on the international scene.

Of course, the question now is can the pope or should the pope resign? Well, technically he can. There is a provision in the canon law for him to step down, although the last pope who did that voluntarily was 700 years ago. And this pope has given no indication that he has any intention to resign. Even during his trip, he made clear that he was going to continue to preach for as long as he had air in his lungs, he said, for as long as he could breathe.

Of course, the big question is what happens should he become incapacitated, not be able to communicate to the outside world. Well, Vatican officials have not confirmed or denied the existence of a letter that Pope John Paul II may have already written, a resignation letter that he had given to one of his most trusted aides, should he become incapacitated. Vatican officials are not confirming, but there is a belief that that letter could be considered his resignation letter, should he, again, not be able to communicate with the outside world. Back to you, Kris.

OSBORN: Alessio Vinci live in Rome, on the health of the pope. Something many around the world are tuning into with great interest. Thank you very much.

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