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CNN Sunday Morning

Vatican May Cut Down on Pope's Trips

Aired May 26, 2002 - 08:01   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: Well, we begin this morning with Pope John Paul II's health. During his current trip to Bulgaria the pontiff had looked incredibly frail but for the first time the Vatican says John Paul may need to cut back on his trips abroad.

Our Alessio Vinci joins us now on the phone from Bulgaria with more. Hi, Alessio.

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Kyra. Well, Vatican officials on the one hand insist that the Pope will continue to travel. As a matter of fact, they even say it is him who is forcing them to be on the road. But, at the same time, the physical limitations of this pope are there for all to see.

Vatican officials are beginning to say that perhaps some of his future travel schedule could be altered. They do confirm the Pope will travel to Canada for World Youth Day at the end of July and they are not saying that the Pope has plans to cancel confirmed trips to other countries such as Mexico, Guatemala and Poland -- all trips that are planned for the coming months.

But it is becoming more and more difficult for him to move around. He cannot walk unassisted, his speech is slurred and often difficult to understand. Throughout this trip he only read the first and last few sentences of his addresses, leaving the rest to be read aloud by interpreters.

However, I also have noted that despite his physical limitations the Vatican no longer actually is trying to conceal, the Pope also appeared at times alert and very much intellectually engaged with the people whom he met. He even recognized a nun he had met years ago in Poland before the coming Pope.

And we are told that the Pope practiced his Bulgarian language for two hours a day before coming here and our interpreters here are telling us that he did quite well although, again, it is at times very hard to understand him.

So I believe that on the one side the Pope is physically very weak but his brain appears to function well. Kyra?

PHILLIPS: Well, Alessio, his condition does beg the question on whether the Pope may resign or step down. Has that been talked about? VINCI: Well, all indications are that he has no intentions to resign. Even during this trip he hinted at saying that he would continue to preach for as long as he could breathe.

The question, of course, remains what would happen should he be -- should he become incapacitated and, for example, not be able to communicate with the outside world.

In this context the Vatican has never confirmed or even denied the existence of a letter of resignation that he may have already delivered through his aids should, again, he become incapacitated and no longer be able to speak.

PHILLIPS: Alessio Vinci, live from Bulgaria -- thank you.

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