Pope prays for strength to continue

Pope John Paul II has prayed for the strength to continue in his papacy after health problems.

John Paul was leading a New Year's Eve service of thanksgiving in St Peter's Basilica.

For several years he has had to cope with a chronic hand tremor and a shuffling step, symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

Christmas Day saw him slump back in his chair on the balcony of the basilica after giving a speech and reading holiday greetings in 60 languages.

As if to counter talk that the pope is running out of steam, the Vatican's issued a press statement.

It said the pope held 43 general audiences and presided over lots of other ceremonies, attracting more than 2.5 million people overall.

Despite his difficulty in moving around, the pope kept up with his foreign travels in 2001, with his pilgrimages taking him as far as Kazakhstan in Asia, as well as to largely Orthodox Greece and to Syria.

Next year he will lead a youth jamboree in Canada. Other trips will include one to Bulgaria.