Pope John Paul II,82 years old, arrived in Canada on Tuesday for the festival of World Youth Day held
for a week in Toronto.
When John landed out the door of his airplane Alitalia MD11 without cargo lifts, the pilgrims,
including Canada Prime Minister Jean Chretien, were surprised at his health since his last foreign
trip to Azerbaijan and Bulgaria in this May accompanying with cargolifts. After walking down 25 steps
to a red carpet, he moved to a wheeled platform which took him to the arrival ceremony inside the
airport.
John's speech in the ceremony briefed that young people should "promote the great cause of peace and
human solidarity" and they are also "bear marks of a humanity that too often does not know peace or
justice". Speaking in French and English with a strong voice, John rewarded Canada as "A world of
great social and ethical strains and confusion about the very purpose of life".
World Youth Day is a week-long festival of Catholic faith. the national director of the festival,
Father Thomas Rosica said that there may be 200,000 young Catholics from some 170 countries registered
predictablely. They have celebrated their faith, attend concerts and go to mass and confession in this
widely popular event.
However, a child sex scandal roiling the Catholic Church make Pope nearly lose this trip. Pope also
faces the Catholic division over his views on abortion and birth control.
Keywords:
Pontiff 羅馬教宗
Vatican 梵諦岡宮的,羅馬教廷的
arthritis 關節炎
pilgrim 朝聖者
papacy 羅馬教宗職位
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