Pope Seen Sacrificing Health for Ecumenical Cause

SOFIA, May 24, 02 (CWNews.com) - Although his health is uncertain, Pope John Paul II is thoroughly determined to pursue his ecumenical mission in Bulgaria, a top Vatican official has told reporters.

At an impromptu press conference in Sofia on Friday evening, Cardinal Walter Kasper, the president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, admitted that he is «very concerned» about the Pontiff's health. But he said that the Pope is prepared to make extraordinary sacrifices on behalf of Christian unity.

«We are seeing, at each ceremony, that he has an iron will,» Cardinal Kasper remarked. Yet despite the Pope's obvious frailty, the cardinal noted that his message has been «very well received» by both the people of Bulgaria and the officials of the Orthodox Church there. «This suffering Pope has brought us one step closer to Christian unity,» he concluded.

Asked whether the Pope's visit to Bulgaria this week will help to bridge the gap between the Holy See and the Orthodox Patriarchate of Moscow, Cardinal Kasper replied affirmatively. Russian Orthodox leaders, he said, should see «that we want to have fraternal and amicable relations with the Orthodox Church, and that we will not impose anything on them.»