Pope to start another phase of travel

Pope John Paul is to begin a new round of travel after a nine-month pause that could take the frail pontiff as far as Mongolia.

The Vatican last week said the Pope will visit Spain on May 3-4, followed by trips to Croatia and Bosnia in June.

After the Vatican decided against a trip to the Philippines in January because of concerns about the Pope’s health, questions were raised whether John Paul was giving up intercontinental travel.

But Vatican officials now say there is a good chance he will make the trip to Mongolia, a predominantly Buddhist Asian nation with a tiny Catholic community of only several hundred.

“One of the hallmarks of this papacy is the desire to meet Catholics anywhere in the world,” said the Pope’s spokesman, Joaquin Navarro-Valls.

A Mongolia stop would also bring John Paul close to Russia and China, two countries he has expressed a desire to visit. But Vatican officials say they see no signs either country is ready to receive him.

A Vatican advance team has already visited Mongolia, planning for a visit in August to coincide with the opening of a Catholic cathedral.

The Pope, who turns 83 on May 18, 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.

In recent weeks, however, he has looked stronger and his voice has been clearer, raising speculation that he has been taking new medicine or a special cure.

Some reports have suggested he is taking a treatment made from papaya extracts that was prescribed by Dr Luc Montagnier, the French researcher who co-discovered the Aids virus.

Montagnier said he made the suggestion while meeting the Pope in June. But Navarro-Valls firmly denied the report and attributed any improvements to more rest and physical therapy.