EASTER SUNDAY

Pope John Paul II gives his Easter Sunday blessing from his Vatican window.

By NICOLE WINFIELD

VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope John Paul II delivered an Easter Sunday blessing to tens of thousands of people in St. Peter's Square, but the ailing pontiff was unable to speak and managed only to greet the saddened crowd with a sign of the cross, bringing tears to many.

Aides had readied a microphone, and the pope tried to utter a few words from his studio window overlooking the square. But after making a few sounds, he just blessed the crowd with his hand and the microphone was taken away.

Vatican watchers had been anxiously awaiting John Paul's appearance for signs of how the 84-year-old pontiff was faring after Feb. 24 surgery to insert a tube in his throat to help him breathe. After the dramatic appearance, many in the crowd cried or applauded in sad appreciation for John Paul's pained efforts to greet them on the holiest day of the church calendar...

John Paul appeared at his window after the service ended, drawing applause from the crowd. He coughed at first, but remained at the window for 12 minutes, looking stronger than he has in recent appearances.

He had papers on his lectern and turned the pages himself, following along as Sodano read his Easter message in the square below.

At the end of the message, a microphone was put in front of him and John Paul touched it as if readying to impart the papal blessing. After trying to utter the words, the pope rested his hands on the lectern in apparent resignation that he could not speak and the microphone was taken away. Soon after, John Paul withdrew from the window...

In John Paul's native Poland, Catholics prayed for him and watched broadcasts from the Vatican for signs of how he was faring. Poland's Roman Catholic primate, Cardinal Jozef Glemp, said Poles feel even closer to the pope than they did before
his latest health crisis.

"What the pope has shown the world during the last few days is very powerful and touching," Glemp told The Associated Press. "He does not hide his suffering and pain but through it teaches us and speaks to us."

Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, archbishop of Washington, said Sunday that John Paul must see his own ailments and inability "as joining the sufferings of the Lord in a very special way." But in an interview with ABC's "This Week," he did not count out a full recovery for the pope.

"I think you know how many times we've crossed the Holy Father off, how many times we've counted him out and he's come back. He's come back strong, he's come back powerfully," he said.



Thousands of people fill St. Peter's Square for Easter at the Vatican.

URBI ET ORBI MESSAGE
OF HIS HOLINESS POPE JOHN PAUL II

Easter Sunday, 27 March 2005

1. Mane nobiscum, Domine!
Stay with us, Lord! (cf. Lk 24:29)
With these words, the disciples on the road to Emmaus
invited the mysterious Wayfarer
to stay with them, as the sun was setting
on that first day of the week
when the incredible had occurred.
According to his promise, Christ had risen;
but they did not yet know this.
Nevertheless, the words spoken by the Wayfarer along the road
made their hearts burn within them.
So they said to him: "Stay with us".
Seated around the supper table,
they recognized him in the "breaking of bread"
- and suddenly he vanished.
There remained in front of them the broken bread,
There echoed in their hearts the gentle sound of his words.

2. Dear brothers and sisters,
the Word and the Bread of the Eucharist,
the mystery and the gift of Easter,
remain down the centuries as a constant memorial
of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ!
On this Easter Day,
together with all Christians throughout the world,
we too repeat those words:
Jesus, crucified and risen, stay with us!
Stay with us, faithful friend and sure support
for humanity on its journey through history!
Living Word of the Father,
give hope and trust to all who are searching
for the true meaning of their lives.
Bread of eternal life, nourish those who hunger
for truth, freedom, justice and peace.

3. Stay with us, Living Word of the Father,
and teach us words and deeds of peace:
peace for our world consecrated by your blood
and drenched in the blood of so many innocent victims:
peace for the countries of the Middle East and Africa,
where so much blood continues to be shed;
peace for all of humanity,
still threatened by fratricidal wars.
Stay with us, Bread of eternal life,
broken and distributed to those at table:
give also to us the strength to show generous solidarity
towards the multitudes who are even today
suffering and dying from poverty and hunger,
decimated by fatal epidemics
or devastated by immense natural disasters.
By the power of your Resurrection,
may they too become sharers in new life.

4. We, the men and women of the third millennium,
we too need you, Risen Lord!
Stay with us now, and until the end of time.
Grant that the material progress of peoples
may never obscure the spiritual values
which are the soul of their civilization.
Sustain us, we pray, on our journey.
In you do we believe, in you do we hope,
for you alone have the words of eternal life (cf. Jn 6:68).
Mane nobiscum, Domine! Alleluia!