Pope Celebrates Birthday in Slovenia

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia — The gait has slowed, the shoulders have bowed, the hand trembles.

But the face still beams in the presence of young people, such as those who helped Pope John Paul II celebrate his 76th birthday Saturday.

In one way, it was a typical pontifical day. John Paul was on the road again on the second day of his three-day trip to Slovenia--the 71st foreign tour of his papacy.

He held an outdoor Mass, met with local officials and lunched with the country’s bishops, who presented him with a birthday cake with the papal seal iced on top, papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said.