Pope’s North American Visit Off to a Strong Start in Canada

Pope John Paul II, beginning an 11-day journey in the Americas, told a gathering of young Roman Catholic pilgrims here Tuesday that they “bear the marks of a humanity that too often does not know peace or justice.”

But as he veered from his official itinerary, John Paul’s actions left a greater impression than his words during the short ceremony at Pearson International Airport that kicked off a weeklong World Youth Day gathering.

After an overseas flight from Italy, the frail 82-year-old pontiff drew applause and some gasps from the airport crowd by electing to climb down the steep steps pushed against the private Boeing 767 passenger jet instead of using a lift as planned. Slowed by a broken hip, arthritic knee and Parkinson’s disease, John Paul took about two minutes to walk down the ramp, with his white alb and hair flowing in the humid breeze.

“He has this rapport with young people,” said Anthony Meagher, archbishop of Kingston, Canada. “And I think he said, ‘I’ll just walk down those steps to show that I’m here for [the young people] as strong as I can be.’ I had tears in my eyes.”

At a nearby hangar, the pope, flanked by Royal Canadian Mounted Police, gave a short message in French and English to a handpicked crowd of a few hundred, including Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien and World Youth Day children from six continents.

“With their gifts of intelligence and heart, [young people] represent the future of the world,” said John Paul, reading in a strong voice from notes. “Too many lives begin and end without joy, without hope. That is one of the principal reasons for World Youth Day.”

The pope told the young pilgrims that they need to commit themselves “to the great cause of peace and human solidarity.”

John Paul is the founder and star attraction of the event, which is held about every two years and sometimes dubbed “Pope-stock.” This year’s World Youth Day has drawn more than 200,000 Catholics from 169 countries.

After his short speech, the pope strayed again from official protocol and asked a local priest to bring him “20 to 25 young people.” As the children stood or knelt before him, John Paul touched their cheeks, said a few words and blessed them. Many walked away crying.

“I’ve heard that when you work with Pope John Paul II, you have to be ready for surprises,” said Father Thomas Rosica, national director of World Youth Day. “None of those young people who came to see him were prepared. The exchanges and the gestures were really, really moving.”

Cardinals and bishops who have attended meetings and ceremonies with the pope in recent years said they have grown used to his slurred speech, restricted movements and limited stamina. But they say the trip and especially the youth seemed to have rejuvenated him--at least for one day. Cardinal Aloysius Ambrozic of Toronto said watching the more animated John Paul reminded him of one of the pontiff’s often-repeated tenets: “When one is with the young, one becomes young.”

Nonetheless, in a concession to his failing health, John Paul was whisked away by helicopter after the airport ceremony to a nearby Catholic retreat on a Lake Simcoe island for two days of rest. He ordered the flight plan changed so he could fly over the site of World Youth Day near the shores of Lake Ontario.

The pope won’t appear in public again until late Thursday afternoon, when he will greet the entire gathering of pilgrims at a welcoming service. He will also speak at a youth vigil Saturday and conduct a huge outdoor Mass on Sunday, the climactic event of World Youth Day. Crowds well into the hundreds of thousands are expected and 30 acres of portable toilets have been put in place.

Still, this year’s number of registrants--once expected to be 750,000--has been far short of predictions and a fraction of previous attendance figures at other World Youth Days. In 1995, 4.5 million people attended festivities in the Philippines, and in 1993, 600,000 Catholics went to Denver for the event.

Organizers say they are baffled by the relatively low turnout, though they theorize that parents might be reluctant to have their children travel internationally after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

John Paul will leave Toronto on Monday for Guatemala and will end his trip to the Americas in Mexico.