Papal Trip, Lengthy but Relaxed, Draws to Close

VATICAN, Aug 1, 02 (CWNews.com) - At the conclusion of an 11-day trip to the Americas-- the 97th foreign voyage of his pontificate-- a visibly tired but happy Pope John Paul II will return to Rome on Thursday evening, August 2.

The Pope will return directly to his summer residence at Castelgandolfo, where he will remain until August 16, when he embarks on a 3-day visit to his native Poland.

The Pope's trip to Canada, Guatemala, and Mexico, involved more travel-- in terms of miles covered-- than any of his voyages since 1996. But the program for the papal trip was noticeably slackened, with organizers allowing much more rest time for the Pontiff in recognition of his failing health.

During this trip, for example, the Pope delivered 11 public talks. In sharp contrast, during the first trip of his pontificate (to Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Dominican Republic), he gave 36 talks in the space of less than a week. The most recent trip also incorporated nearly 5 full days of rest, allowing the Pope to regain energy after his travels and public ceremonies.

Despite his obvious physical fatigue, Pope John Paul was clearly buoyed in his spirits by his meeting with 800,000 young people at World Youth Day in Toronto, and his encounter with an estimated 500,000 people in Guatemala. In Mexico, the size of the crowds that greeted him and thronged the route of his motorcades made it impossible to give any accurate estimate, but officials guessed that «several million» Mexicans had seen the Pope.

There was only one unpleasant incident during the papal tour. Not long after the Pope's arrival in Mexico, a 14-year-old boy was arrested after shooting several rounds from a pistol. After a few minutes of panic, police established that the youngster had been shooting the fiream into the air in celebration after the «popemobile» passed in front of him.