THE VATICAN: Pope John Paul II, speaking during the Sunday Angelus in St Peter's Square yesterday, again appeared to dismiss any speculation that he might renounce the pontificate when calling on the faithful to pray for his mission even in times of "great difficulty and suffering".
The ailing 82-year-old Pope's remarks followed a similar statement in a homily on the feast of Peter and Paul on Saturday when he said: "He who believes in God, free from all fear, experiences the comforting presence of the Holy Spirit, above all at times of trial and pain."
The Pope's remarks came on a weekend when Vatican specialist Vittorio Messori, the man who collaborated with the Pope on his mid-1990s bestseller, Crossing the Threshold of Hope, declared authoritatively in a front-page article in the Milan daily Corriere Della Sera that the Pope had firmly decided not to retire.
Although he did not name his sources, Messori insisted that his story was based "not on rumours but on secure information".
In recent months, as he becomes obviously more inhibited by the twin effects of Parkinson's Disease and arthritis, the Pope has been at the centre of much speculation that he might resign, with the idea being aired even by senior Church figures such as Curia Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriquez Maradiaga. His physical mobility has been curtailed, he appears ever more bent over and his speech is sometimes slurred to the point of incomprehensibility.
The Pope's remarks this weekend, which appear to reiterate his long-affirmed intent to remain on the seat of Peter until such time as "God decides", would also seem to end speculation that he might announce the "renouncing" of his pontificate during an August trip to his native Poland when he is due to visit his former diocese of Cracow.