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VATICAN CITY (Oct. 2) (ap) - A leading European cardinal said Thursday that Pope John Paul II is nearing ''the last days and months of his life,'' the latest prelate to express alarm over the 83-year-old pontiff's health.
The remarks by Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, considered a possible candidate for the papacy, came as John Paul's closest aide sought to minimize growing concern over the pontiff's health.
The pope suffers from Parkinson's disease and has looked increasingly weak in the past month.
''The entire world is experiencing a pope who is sick, who is disabled and who is dying - I don't know how near death he is - who is approaching the last days and months of his life,'' Schoenborn told Austrian state broadcaster ORF.
The cardinal's spokesman, Erich Leitenberger, later told The Associated Press that the comments were ''to be interpreted philosophically.''
Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, who has been the pope's secretary since John Paul was a cardinal in Poland, made a rare statement to reporters Thursday while the pontiff was meeting with the president of Lithuania.
Asked about the pope's health, Dziwisz referred to comments attributed by a German magazine to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger that John Paul was ''in a bad way'' and that the faithful should pray for him.
''Cardinal Ratzinger was crying yesterday, explaining that he never gave an interview but merely answered someone he met on the street saying, 'If the pope is sick, pray for him,''' Dziwisz said.
''Many journalists who in the past have written about the pope's health are already in heaven,'' Dziwisz said.
The pope looked relaxed and alert during his meeting with President Rolandas Paksas, which lasted 15 minutes and was one of four appointments on the pope's schedule Thursday.
The Vatican announced the pope will preside at the installation of 30 new cardinals he named Sunday, saying the ceremony will be held Oct. 21 on the steps of St. Peter's Basilica. The following day, he will preside at a Mass with the cardinals in St. Peter's Square.
John Paul looked alert and spirited throughout his two-hour general audience Wednesday. He skipped the traditional audience the previous week because of what the Vatican described as a mild intestinal ailment.
In Paris on Wednesday, the head of the governing body for the Catholic Church in France said John Paul is ''very ill'' but still able to lead.
''Things shouldn't be hidden. This pope is very ill,'' Bishop Stanislas Lalane said on Europe-1 radio. ''But I assure you, the church is governed.''
The remarks by Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, considered a possible candidate for the papacy, came as John Paul's closest aide sought to minimize growing concern over the pontiff's health.
The pope suffers from Parkinson's disease and has looked increasingly weak in the past month.
''The entire world is experiencing a pope who is sick, who is disabled and who is dying - I don't know how near death he is - who is approaching the last days and months of his life,'' Schoenborn told Austrian state broadcaster ORF.
The cardinal's spokesman, Erich Leitenberger, later told The Associated Press that the comments were ''to be interpreted philosophically.''
Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, who has been the pope's secretary since John Paul was a cardinal in Poland, made a rare statement to reporters Thursday while the pontiff was meeting with the president of Lithuania.
Asked about the pope's health, Dziwisz referred to comments attributed by a German magazine to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger that John Paul was ''in a bad way'' and that the faithful should pray for him.
''Cardinal Ratzinger was crying yesterday, explaining that he never gave an interview but merely answered someone he met on the street saying, 'If the pope is sick, pray for him,''' Dziwisz said.
''Many journalists who in the past have written about the pope's health are already in heaven,'' Dziwisz said.
The pope looked relaxed and alert during his meeting with President Rolandas Paksas, which lasted 15 minutes and was one of four appointments on the pope's schedule Thursday.
The Vatican announced the pope will preside at the installation of 30 new cardinals he named Sunday, saying the ceremony will be held Oct. 21 on the steps of St. Peter's Basilica. The following day, he will preside at a Mass with the cardinals in St. Peter's Square.
John Paul looked alert and spirited throughout his two-hour general audience Wednesday. He skipped the traditional audience the previous week because of what the Vatican described as a mild intestinal ailment.
In Paris on Wednesday, the head of the governing body for the Catholic Church in France said John Paul is ''very ill'' but still able to lead.
''Things shouldn't be hidden. This pope is very ill,'' Bishop Stanislas Lalane said on Europe-1 radio. ''But I assure you, the church is governed.''
