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CNN Live Today

Pope Leaves for Guatemala

Aired July 29, 2002 - 11:20   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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Our Jim Bittermann is standing by there at the airport in Toronto. Let's see if Jim can hear us here over the roar of the engines there.

Jim, are you there?

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. I'm aboard the papal airplane as a matter of fact. I am only -- I can't see from her too well, however, Because we're required to stay within -- inside the aircraft. But the cope getting ready to leave for the rest of his trip to Guatemala. He's going to arrive in Guatemala this afternoon, and only about 25 hours or so on the ground in Guatemala. He will, tomorrow morning, as you were talking about earlier, he's going to canonize the Diedra Dacore (ph), who is a leading gaddified (ph) brother in Guatemala, well known, very well known historic figure in Guatemala, and will canonize and declare that Diedra Dacore (ph) is a saint tomorrow morning at a mass.

And then Later on the day, fly on to Mexico City, where he is going to will declare saint Juan Diego, the legendary shepherd, who had seen the vision of the Virgin of Guadalupe, which is, of course,in Catholic terms, one of the most important virgin anywhere in the world. In fact, it's one of the most visited shrines outside of The Vatican, particularly among Latin Americans, South Americans, who come up from Mexico City, To visit the Virgin of Guadalupe Shrine.

And then from there, toward tend of the week, on Thursday afternoon, the pope will take off and return to Rome.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's also bring in our Frank Buckley who has been following this trip as well.

Frank, of course this is still a very frail man, the pope. And many surprised how well he has done on the trip from the moment he got off the plane in Toronto.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, indeed physically, just literally from first steps into Canada, people were surprised. We had all been warned or told that the pope would not be coming down the front steps of the aircraft and, in fact that's exactly what he did. He took all 27 steps, one at a time, on own his power, came down the steps.

He has been in the masses that he's celebrated, been able to participate fully. The Vatican press corps that I've been speaking to, they've been saying they've been quite surprised at how well he has done physically. And he continues with that, seeming very vibrant and alive here as he prepares for his departure to Guatemala.

You were mentioning about the mention of the sex abuse crisis that took place yesterday during the homily at the mass. I can quote exactly what the pope said during that Homily. He said, he told the young Catholics whose are gathered, "If you love Jesus, love the church, do not be discouraged by the sins and failings of some of her members. The harm done by some priest and religious to the young and vulnerable fills us all with a deep sense of sadness and shame."

Some observers saying that was the first strong indication from the pope, or certainly was the first time he's spoken publicly about the sex abuse crisis. If we can bring Jim Bittermann in, once again.

Jim, I was wondering in your discussion with the folks with the Vatican, has there been any discussion there about this?

BITTERMANN: Well, I think, you know, think there's been discussion all along, particularly since the American cardinal visited Rome some months back. But I think that the pope's remarks yesterday caught a number of people by surprise. I think that the -- particularly the American church -- there was not necessarily an expectation that the pope would take the issue on, and particularly since bishops and priests were up in Toronto taking part in the World Youth Day were doing everything they could to sort of keep the talk away from the sexual abuse scandals and direct it more toward the issues of the faith. In fact, and here we saw the pope yesterday bringing the issue up itself and addressing it fairly directly.

So I think that was kind of surprise and kind of a surprise, kind of unexpected for some of the members of the American Bishop's Conference, who were up here yesterday.

BUCKLEY: Jim, if I can interrupt you for just one second. I know you can't see this, because you're actually on the aircraft, but yet another surprise, the final surprise, if you will, of this pope's trip to Toronto. You will be surprised to hear that the pope has gone up the ramp. He has gone up the stairs and walked all the way up the stairs on to the aircraft that you are on right now. I don't think anyone will have expected that.

BITTERMANN: We wouldn't be thinking that he would probably use his platform. In fact, there was the -- the scissor lift was available to him, parked on the other side of the aircraft here. And it was available to him, and we were speculating that it was a lot easier for him to come down the ramp than to go up. So, yes, you're right, it is another sign the pope is doing very well on this trip.

BUCKLEY: Yes, this pope is 82 years old, suffering from the effects of Parkinson's Disease and severe arthritis. And really, I think quite a physical feat for this pontiff to climb up the step on to the TACA aircraft.

We were able to see -- I didn't mean to interrupt you there, Jim, but we also wanted to show some of our viewers the video we had from inside that aircraft that you're in right now. Earlier, we were able to get a view inside that aircraft to see the seat that the holy father will be sitting in as he flies on his way to Guatemala, and then to Mexico City. The video of that seat just a standard, it appeared to us anyway, seat in an aircraft. You might think that the pontiff and his health condition might have a bed or something like that. But in fact, it was just a regular seat that the pope will be riding on.

Jim, didn't mean to interrupt. Go ahead and come back on in.

BITTERMANN: I was just going to say that, in fact, on the health issue, one of the thing that we have been talking about a lot in the press corps here, is the difference in his health condition between this trip and the previous two trips, in which he had to be helped onboard and off the aircraft with the scissor lift, and which his mobility was, of course, truly restricted. On this trip, we've seen a lot more activity from the pope. His speeches have been very clear. We're speculating this morning, we want to see how he will continue exactly. There will be some very massive crowd scenes that await him down in Latin America, far more massive I think than we saw in Toronto.

According to the news reports, millions of people are waiting to greet him both in Guatemala City and also in Mexico City. So there's going to be a lot of stress on the pope. He's going to be out in the public limelight throughout the next four days before returning to Rome.

So I think that we're all waiting to see how he bears up under the increased strain.

As he was coming off when he arrived in Toronto, of course coming off almost two weeks of vacation, up at the summer respite in Castle Gadolfo (ph), and so he also had a great deal of press while he was here. But over the next four days, there are no rest periods built in like there were in Toronto.

So he'll be out in front of cameras throughout the next four days.

BUCKLEY: OK, Jim Bittermann, thanks for your contribution. It's been nice working with you, and all of us here in Toronto wish you safe travels with the pope.

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