Crowds flock to Pope's Bern mass

The turn-out exceeded organisers' expectations

Some 70,000 cheering Roman Catholics have turned out to see Pope John Paul II lead mass in the Swiss capital Bern.

Despite faltering health, the 84-year-old pontiff was visibly buoyed by the crowds and read prayers in three languages and in good voice.

He toured the congregation in his "Popemobile" before leading the open-air mass in an upbeat end to his first foreign trip in nine months.

On Saturday, he told young worshippers he would keep working "until the end".

The mass caps a trip to a country where the Pope inspires some controversy.

A poll suggests some three-quarters of Swiss feel the Pope should retire - a feeling expressed explicitly by Swiss Roman Catholic theologians, priests and community leaders in a recent letter to the Pope.

Cheers and crowds

But the overwhelming sentiment from the crowds who had come from around Switzerland and beyond to hear the Pope was one of noisy enthusiasm.

The turn-out exceeded the expectations of organisers, who had reportedly feared that hopes for an audience of 50,000 would not be fulfilled.

Local Protestants declined an invitation to attend the mass because they would not be allowed to share communion with the Catholics.

A large cheer came up from the crowd as the Pope was wheeled onto the semi-circular stage after touring the crowds in the field at the outskirts of Bern.

The Pope read prayers in three of Switzerland's national languages - French, German and Italian - occasionally pausing to wipe his mouth with a handkerchief.

Passage 'omitted'

"Dear young friends," he said.

"You should know that the Pope likes you, accompanies you daily in his prayers, counts on your co-operation in the matter of the Gospel and encourages you to proceed optimistically in the path of Christian living."

The Pope seemed reinvigorated by his enthusiastic reception

The official text of the speech contains remarks denouncing the mistreatment of any human being, interpreted as another rebuke over the scandal of the abuse of Iraqi prisoners.

The Pope reportedly omitted these remarks from his speech, though they remain in the official version.

But he did refer to Switzerland's "great tradition of respect for humankind" as typified by the Red Cross - which raised the issue of prisoner abuse with American authorities.

On Friday, the Pope rebuked US President George W Bush over the "deplorable events".

Later on Sunday, young people poured water from the main four Swiss rivers - the Rhine, the Rhone, the Ticino and the Inn - into a marble font, which was then blessed and sprinkled on the crowd.

The Pope was also feted by his Swiss Guards - in billowing orange and blue uniforms - who have been guarding pontiffs ever since they were founded in 1506 by Pope Julius II.

Aids protest

The Pope appeared frail at the beginning of his trip - which has been punctuated by long periods of rest at an old people's home run by nuns - but said he was reinvigorated by a rousing reception by young people on Saturday night.

The Pope told his audience of about 12,000 at an ice-skating rink that he had no intention of retiring or giving up travel.

"It's wonderful to be able to offer oneself until the end for the cause of the Kingdom of God," he said.

Not all those in attendance were worshippers. Up to 100 protesters were surrounded by riot police while handing out condoms in protest at the Pope's stance on safe sex.

They condemned the Pope as a "mass murderer" for opposing the use of condoms despite the threat of Aids.