Frail Pope's Future Questioned

Pope John Paul II was back at the Vatican on Friday after overcoming breathing problems that required emergency hospitalization and left many wondering how he would continue in his papacy with such frail health.

Parents hoisted children on their shoulders to watch and Romans let out hearty cries of "Viva il papa!" ("Long live the pope!") as John Paul, in his white popemobile, left a Rome hospital Thursday night. His route took him across a floodlit St. Peter's Square and through the Arch of the Bells, one of the Vatican's entrances.

In contrast to the hurried, late-night ride Feb. 1 to the Gemelli Polyclinic in an unmarked ambulance as he lay in the throes of a breathing crisis, John Paul was brought home in full public view in his signature vehicle with see-through glass sides during the 10-minute drive, which was broadcast live on Italian TV.

The Vatican took pains to make him as visible as possible amid public talk — including by top cardinals — that the 84-year-old John Paul might well have to consider the rare step of resigning at some point as Parkinson's disease continues to exact its toll on his health, his mobility and ability to speak.

By comparison, in 1996, when John Paul left Gemelli after an appendectomy, he walked out with a cane, embraced his surgeon in gratitude and left by limousine.

This time, sitting in his wheeled armchair that was slid into the popemobile by hydraulic lift, John Paul looked weary but occasionally raised his right hand in greeting.

"It felt real good, real good. At least we know his health is back and he is back to doing what he does best," said David Allegria, an American tourist from Arizona. "It is good to have him back in the church for us. It makes me happy."

Before he left the Catholic teaching hospital, doctors came up to him one by one to kiss his ring in respect. "Grazie," the pope told them in a clear voice, thanking them in Italian for their care, according to audiotape aired Friday.

John Paul sent the staff a letter expressing his "feelings of gratefulness for the attentive treatment reserved for me." He ended the note saying he offered his blessing "from the bottom of my heart as a sign of my constant affection."

Papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said the pope had recovered completely from the breathing crisis, which developed while John Paul was down with the flu.

Medical observers had said Parkinson's, by hampering proper muscle movement and leaving John Paul stooped, could well have left him vulnerable to the kind of breathing spasms that sent him to Gemelli.

Navarro-Valls said a battery of tests including a CT scan — a three-dimensional X-ray — had ruled out any new illnesses.

Many will be watching this Sunday to see if John Paul keeps his customary noon appearance at his studio window on St. Peter's Square. Last Sunday's appearance, from his hospital room window, provoked worry because the pope's very brief words were almost entirely inaudible.

On Monday Cardinal Angelo Sodano, who as secretary of state is the Vatican's No. 2, said the hypothesis of a papal resignation should be left "up to the pope's conscience."

No pope has resigned for centuries, and John Paul repeatedly has said he intends to carry out his mission until the end.

While this latest medical crisis triggered open talk of a resignation in the upper ranks of the Roman Catholic Church, for some faithful it was enough to see John Paul back at the Holy See.

"We don't see the Vatican as a company and him as a manager who has to be young and beautiful," said Beata Szweryn, a Polish-born resident of the Netherlands who stood near St. Peter's Square with her family to watch the pontiff return. "We see him as a holy and spiritual man."