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CNN Live At Daybreak

Ailing Pope to Attend World Youth Day in Toronto

Aired July 23, 2002 - 06:35   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.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Pope John Paul II is expected to arrive in Toronto just this afternoon. He is attending the week-long World Youth Day, but as Jim Bittermann reports, the ailing pope's health is the talk of the Vatican.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Over the weekend, on the eve of his next trip, Pope John Paul II urged young people not to be afraid of a world shaken by tragedy and conflict, a message the pope reinforces by example, because despite his ever- weakening physical appearance, he is carrying on unafraid, determined to carry out his calling with a missionary zeal.

In his nearly 24 years as pope, he has traveled three times the distance from the earth to the moon, a man once known as the great communicator and God's athlete (ph). But especially in this last year, each passing holiday, each new trip, has been marked with a decline in his mobility and his speaking ability.

Around the Vatican, the rumors again circulated this spring that John Paul might resign, but through an Italian journalist, the pope made it clear he would not.

PADRE JOSE DE VERA, JESUIT INFORMATION DIRECTOR: I think the pope would be happy to die with the boots on in one of the streets. And those close to him might think they interpret him very well, it would be very disappointing for him to die in the bed.

BITTERMANN: The talk around the Vatican now turns on how best to accommodate papal handicaps to keep the pope effective as long as possible. John Paul's doctors are limiting his normal activities to a bare minimum.

(on camera): During his six days in Toronto, for example, though, are barely 15 hours of public events on the pope's schedule. And depending on the progression of John Paul's illness, generally thought to be a form of Parkinson's disease, still further accommodations may have to be made in the future in order to keep the pope active.

(voice-over): Some observers outside the Vatican point out that public figures, like Steven Hawkings and Christopher Reeve, have demonstrated that even mobility and communication problems can be overcome these days, parallels not so farfetched since doctors familiar with Parkinson's suggest John Paul could continue on for some time to come.

In the end, perhaps, the most debilitating question being raised about the 82-year-old pope's health is not how long, but how much the pope can remain involved in decision-making.

DE VERA: I see many documents coming out of the Vatican of the different congregations, and all of them, of course, with the approval of the pope. Well, people, I think legitimately, question if the pope really has to study (ph) these things (ph).

BITTERMANN: And so, while no one doubts John Paul's determination to carry on, doubts are beginning to surface about his control over the church.

Jim Bittermann, CNN, Vatican City.

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