Posted on 05/17/2003 12:25:13 PM PDT by AmericanInTokyo
By NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press Writer
VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul II has used prayer to cope with his advancing age and Parkinson's disease, a top Vatican official said in published remarks Saturday — the first time a senior official has publicly acknowledged the pontiff suffers from the degenerative disease.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, head of the Congregation of Bishops, made the comments in an interview with the Milan daily newspaper Corriere della Sera on the eve of the pope's 83rd birthday.
"If we want to look for the secret weapon that has allowed him to beat the years and Parkinson's, we must look to prayer: He puts himself in the hands of God and feels God and the Madonna (news - web sites) by his side in the path of life," he was quoted as saying.
Vatican has never officially attributed the source of the pope's trembling hands and slurred speech — typical symptoms of Parkinson's.
The cause of Parkinson's is unknown, but it results from the degeneration of nerve cells that produce a neurotransmitter called dopamine, which is needed to control muscle activity.
Symptoms of the disorder, which afflicts about 500,000 Americans, include tremors, stiffness and a shuffling gait.
Vatican officials have cited the pope's need for privacy as the reason they have not described his physical condition.
Several years ago, papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls, who has a medical degree, said the pope may have an "extra pyramidal syndrome" — which could be one of many problems, including Parkinson's. Extra pyramidal refers to the part of the motor system that controls non-voluntary movement.
Doctors watching the pope from afar, however, have said the problem clearly was Parkinson's.
The pontiff also has crippling knee and hip ailments which have made it virtually impossible for him to walk.
Calls placed to the Vatican spokesman seeking comment on Re's remarks were not returned Saturday.
Despite his age and ailments, John Paul has appeared remarkably well in recent months — seeming stronger and speaking more clearly. The Vatican has attributed those improvements to more rest and physical therapy.
He still keeps up a vigorous work schedule and is due to make his 100th foreign trip — to Croatia — in June.
The Vatican also said there was a strong chance that John Paul in August would visit Mongolia, a predominantly Buddhist Asian nation with a Catholic community of fewer than 200 people.
But in an interview with the La Stampa daily newspaper Saturday, Navarro-Valls said the threat of the severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS (news - web sites), virus spreading through Asia might scuttle the visit.
"We haven't officially announced the visit. Mongolia might be included by the World Health Organization (news - web sites) among the countries at risk for SARS. We'll have to see," Navarro-Valls said.
The Vatican also was seeking agreement for a stopover in Russia en route to Mongolia — a visit long desired by John Paul as part of his efforts to promote greater Christian unity.
A Russia visit so far has been thwarted by opposition from Russia's Orthodox Church, which accuses the Roman Catholic Church of trying to gain converts in traditionally Orthodox lands in the former Soviet Union.
No pope has ever visited Russia.
Existentialism doesn't explain anything.
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