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CNN Live Today

Reporter on Pope in Canada

Aired July 26, 2002 - 13:11   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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Now to Canada. Pope John Paul II is taking a day of rest. But so far, the aging Catholic leader seems to have gotten a lift from his youthful audience.

CNN's Frank Buckley is standing by in Toronto with more on the pope and the events connected to World Youth Day -- Frank.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, pretty much a down day, at least publicly for the pope. The pope is entertaining 14 young people for lunch out at Strawberry Island. But no public events scheduled today.

Yesterday quite a different story here at Exhibition Place, some 375,000 to 400,000 people coming out to see the pope as he traveled around in his "popemobile."

Among the people here to watch that and see that John Allen from "The National Catholic Reporter."

John, thanks for joining us.

You've been covering the pope for a number of years. There was some discussion when he came off the airplane, people were surprised that he came down the ramp. You have been able to observe him. What do you think of his health at this point.

JOHN ALLEN JR., "THE NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER": Well, I think given the way we've seen him looking in the last few months, he's doing remarkably well. I mean, I was actually standing under the fuselage of the airplane watching the lift that normally moves him down to go up to get into position. And then we saw him appear at the top of stairs, and a colleague said to me he's not coming down the stairs -- no chance. It just hasn't happened. And yet there he was. And not only did he come down the stair, but he did it with great determination and sort of a bounce in his step.

Last night, as you know, he had this smile on his face, he had an energy. There was a depth and a richness to his voice that we haven't seen in months.

Journalistically, we have to keep that in context. But in the context of a man who has some real serious physical problems: the Parkinson's, difficulty walking, the arthritis in knee, the hearing loss, the breathing troubles. So he's somebody who is declining, who is frail and delicate. But in that context, we have are seeing an unusually hale and hearty pope.

BUCKLEY: There was a ripple that went through the pressroom last night when the pope said the next -- he said the last youth day will be in Krakow. What did you make of that?

ALLEN: I spent a good part of my breakfast this morning with colleagues trying to figure out exactly what to make of that. I think the truth is we can't get into his mind and we don't know. Being pope means -- it's a little bit like being president or secretary-general of the UN: Every syllable that comes out of your mouth is watched with incredible attention all across the world. And frankly, you are going to slip up once in a while. And I think that's what we saw. The pope was speaking in probably his seventh language and simply didn't express what he wanted to say. And at this stage, we don't what it is he meant to say.

BUCKLEY: John Allen from "The National Catholic Reporter," thanks very much.

Kyra, we're going to send it back to you, in Atlanta.

PHILLIPS: Frank Buckley, thank you very much.

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