Pope Tells Swiss He Won’t Quit

BERN, Switzerland — A frail Pope John Paul II made his first foreign trip in nine months Saturday, visiting Switzerland, where he said it was his duty to keep traveling. He told young people that he had no intention of giving up the papacy.

The pontiff spoke to a rally of 13,000 Swiss Roman Catholic youths, his hands trembling but his voice clear. He had difficulty speaking at times, but the crowd encouraged him by cheering.

“It’s wonderful to be able to offer oneself until the end for the cause of the kingdom of God,” he told the rally, describing that as his testimony after nearly 60 years as a priest.

The 84-year-old John Paul has Parkinson’s disease and severe hip and knee ailments, but he repeatedly has brushed aside suggestions that he step down.

In Switzerland, where many in his flock question some of his conservative teachings, leading Catholic theologians recently declared that popes -- like bishops -- should resign at 75.

During his last trip beyond Italy, to Slovakia in September, the pope at times lost his breath, slumped in his chair and was unable to complete most of his speeches, raising questions about whether the most-traveled pontiff in history would travel again.

On Friday, while receiving President Bush at the Vatican, John Paul’s hands trembled badly and his speech was difficult to understand.

The pope appeared alert and spoke more clearly after arriving in Bern for a 32-hour visit.

For the first time on a foreign trip, aides rolled his wheeled throne onto a van, instead of carrying him bodily onto a vehicle.

John Paul was wildly cheered by the youths when he arrived at the rally, waving to the crowd from his throne on a stage.

Swiss Guards, recruited in this country and about to celebrate 500 years of guarding popes, stood near him in their colorful uniforms and red-plumed helmets.

The pope recalled that he once shared the worries of young people while growing up during World War II and the communist era. He said he brought sense to his life “in following the Lord Christ.”

John Paul told the youths that “it is not a time to be ashamed of the Gospel” and reiterated that “Christian marriage” is between a man and a woman -- an allusion to his opposition to same-sex marriage.