Pope insists on travelling

Frail and stooped, Pope John Paul is burdened by his age and his ailments. But tomorrow he sets out for Canada, Guatemala and Mexico, ignoring the advice of aides that the 13,000 mile trip may be too much of a strain for the most travelled pope in history.

His first stop is Toronto, for a gathering of Roman Catholic young people the pope calls ‘‘the future and hope of the Church and humanity.’’

Global travel is a hallmark of John Paul’s papacy, and the 82-year-old pope seems undeterred by the prospect that this year’s gathering may be the most lightly attended since he initiated the World Youth Day event in the mid-1980s.

Just under 200,000 people have registered in advance, the low attendance attributed in part to the uncertainties of travel after the September 11 attacks and the sex abuse scandals that have shaken the church in the United States since January, Vatican Radio acknowledged today.

Similar events in the past have drawn millions in Rome, Paris and Manila.

American Cardinal James Francis Stafford, one of the events’ organisers, said he hoped that young Americans looking at this ‘‘elderly, great pope and his growing physical weakness can see in him the sign of their renewed love for Jesus Christ.’’

Canadians who watched the pope tour their country in 1984 will see a vastly different man.

He suffers from the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease - slurred speech and trembling hands - and hip and knee ailments that make it difficult for him to stand or walk. Aides hold him tightly fearing a fall.

He will spend the first three days in Canada on Strawberry Island, a secluded spot north of Toronto, to allow him to rest and get over his jet lag. A golf cart will be available to get him around the 40 acre island.

Most official events such as private meetings with political leaders have been dropped from the trip, and speeches have been shortened, officials said.

Until a few weeks ago, there was uncertainty whether John Paul would make the entire trip.

He looked so weak during a trip to Bulgaria in May that two senior officials - Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano and papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls - raised the possibility that the stops in Guatemala and Mexico could be reconsidered.

They said the decision would be the pope’s - and he decided to make the trip in line with his policy to visit his flock wherever he can and no matter how small the size. He stopped in Azerbaijan in May, where the Catholic community numbers a mere 120 members.

The Vatican has long said the pope would not be stopping in the United States, denying reports that John Paul was insisting on visiting Ground Zero, the site of the terrorist attacks in New York.

This week’s trip will be the 97th foreign tour of John Paul’s near 24 year papacy. He is scheduled to go on the road again on August 16 for a four day visit to his native Poland.

Some have speculated that he would use the visit to his homeland to announce he was stepping down because of his poor health, but the Vatican has said repeatedly the pope has no such intention.