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CNN Live At Daybreak

Pope John Paul II Pushing Ahead With Rigorous Four Day Pilgrimage

Aired September 12, 2003 - 05:31   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.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Pope John Paul II is pushing ahead with a rigorous four day pilgrimage in Slovakia despite his deteriorating health. He's been holding an open air mass this morning.
Our Alessio Vinci is there.

He joins us live by phone -- good morning.

How is the pope doing?

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, hello to you.

He's looking considerably frail and tired these days. As you know, he suffers from a series of, a variety of ailments. These trips abroad are beginning to take a toll on his health. He just began an open air mass here in the town of Banska Bystrica. It's a small town in central Slovakia. The pope came here three times -- two times. This is his third trip here to Slovakia, but it's the first time he comes here, so many people here have arrived just to see him for the first time.

Health, of course, a major concern. Yesterday, arriving at the airport of, in the capital Bratislava, the people only managed to read basically the first and last paragraphs of his speech. Of course, all eyes are on him at this time to see if he can continue on his own or whether he's going to require, again, the help of a Vatican official. But Vatican officials, of course, they are saying that the pope is tired, but he's continuing his trip.

We have seen a significant amount of medical equipment being tossed around nearby him. Vatican officials insisting that this is just a precautionary measure, it happens all the time, and there is no word here of shortening his trip, which ends on Sunday -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Well, Alessio, when you say medical equipment, what kind of medical equipment are we talking about? We had heard that he was rushed inside of a church. They had to find medical equipment and do something to get the pope back on his feet.

VINCI: Well, first of all, to set the record straight, we did see the people being brought into the papistry yesterday in Brati -- near Bratislava in the town of Chernova (ph), when he was visiting the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) of the cathedral there. And we have seen some medical equipment being brought in that same direction. I do not know whether that equipment was actually used on the pope. In fact, the Vatican spokesman, Joaquin Navarro even said that that equipment was not connected in any way, shape or form to the pope. So we do know that there are, have been what I believe is a defibrillator and some other kind of medical equipment have been really always following him. We know his medical staff is always following him. His personal doctor is here, as well. So, of course, the health is a major concern.

But there's not only that. There's also the fact that the pope no longer moves on his own. And to moving around from town to town is becoming really a logistical nightmare. I can tell you, just this morning, boarding the plane, it took him almost 20 minutes to get out of the car and he needed three or four Vatican officials lifting him, you know, by force from the seat of the car into another seat and then into a lift that then, you know, will bring him up to the plane.

So it's really becoming really, really hard for him to travel. But nevertheless, Vatican officials are saying the trip will continue and the pope himself is the one who really wants to continue -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Alessio, we'll check back with you in the next hour of DAYBREAK.

Alessio Vinci live from Slovakia this morning.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




Pilgrimage>


Aired September 12, 2003 - 05:31   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Pope John Paul II is pushing ahead with a rigorous four day pilgrimage in Slovakia despite his deteriorating health. He's been holding an open air mass this morning.
Our Alessio Vinci is there.

He joins us live by phone -- good morning.

How is the pope doing?

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, hello to you.

He's looking considerably frail and tired these days. As you know, he suffers from a series of, a variety of ailments. These trips abroad are beginning to take a toll on his health. He just began an open air mass here in the town of Banska Bystrica. It's a small town in central Slovakia. The pope came here three times -- two times. This is his third trip here to Slovakia, but it's the first time he comes here, so many people here have arrived just to see him for the first time.

Health, of course, a major concern. Yesterday, arriving at the airport of, in the capital Bratislava, the people only managed to read basically the first and last paragraphs of his speech. Of course, all eyes are on him at this time to see if he can continue on his own or whether he's going to require, again, the help of a Vatican official. But Vatican officials, of course, they are saying that the pope is tired, but he's continuing his trip.

We have seen a significant amount of medical equipment being tossed around nearby him. Vatican officials insisting that this is just a precautionary measure, it happens all the time, and there is no word here of shortening his trip, which ends on Sunday -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Well, Alessio, when you say medical equipment, what kind of medical equipment are we talking about? We had heard that he was rushed inside of a church. They had to find medical equipment and do something to get the pope back on his feet.

VINCI: Well, first of all, to set the record straight, we did see the people being brought into the papistry yesterday in Brati -- near Bratislava in the town of Chernova (ph), when he was visiting the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) of the cathedral there. And we have seen some medical equipment being brought in that same direction. I do not know whether that equipment was actually used on the pope. In fact, the Vatican spokesman, Joaquin Navarro even said that that equipment was not connected in any way, shape or form to the pope. So we do know that there are, have been what I believe is a defibrillator and some other kind of medical equipment have been really always following him. We know his medical staff is always following him. His personal doctor is here, as well. So, of course, the health is a major concern.

But there's not only that. There's also the fact that the pope no longer moves on his own. And to moving around from town to town is becoming really a logistical nightmare. I can tell you, just this morning, boarding the plane, it took him almost 20 minutes to get out of the car and he needed three or four Vatican officials lifting him, you know, by force from the seat of the car into another seat and then into a lift that then, you know, will bring him up to the plane.

So it's really becoming really, really hard for him to travel. But nevertheless, Vatican officials are saying the trip will continue and the pope himself is the one who really wants to continue -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Alessio, we'll check back with you in the next hour of DAYBREAK.

Alessio Vinci live from Slovakia this morning.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




Pilgrimage>