Although John Paul II was unable to attend a Mass on Tuesday in St. Peter’s Basilica, afterward he nevertheless wished to greet those present, including some in wheelchairs, from the window of his study.
The Pope read in a hoarse voice a few paragraphs of the address he had prepared for the occasion.
“In this year, troubled by not a few worries over the future of humanity, I have asked that the prayer of the rosary have, as its special intentions, the cause of peace and of the family,” he said.
“You, dear sick brothers and sisters, are in the front line to intercede for these two great intentions,” the Holy Father added.
Vatican Press Office sources said the Pope’s cold did not have a major effect on his agenda.
