Vatican City, Oct 16: Pope John Paul II celebrated his 25th anniversary as Pope today, reaching a milestone matched by only three of his predecessors and pushing ahead with his agenda despite increasingly debilitating infirmities. The 83-year-old John Paul planned to preside over an anniversary mass in St. Peter's square starting at 6 PM (local time) about the same time that white smoke from a Vatican Chimney alerted the world a quarter-century ago that a polish cardinal named Karol Wojtyla had been elected the first non-Italian Pope in 455 years. Cardinals from around the world have gathered in Rome for the festivities and the mass, which was expected to draw tens of thousands of pilgrims to St. Peter's square, including representatives from the 301 roman parishes John Paul has visited, and be watched by millions more on television.

The Vatican was marking the anniversary with great celebration, but there was also a very bittersweet atmosphere in Rome since the Pope, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, is so clearly ailing. ``He's frail, obviously, and been frail for a while. He's hurting,'' said cardinal Theodore McCarrick, archbishop of Washington, D.C.

Nevertheless, John Paul has continued to defy skeptics by pressing on, insisting on keeping up with his taxing schedule despite his inability to walk or even stand. He continues to hold public audiences despite his increasing difficulty speaking and making clear he has no plans to step down.
Bureau Report