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Half-million faithful greet pope©Associated PressJuly 28, 2002 TORONTO -- Facing hundreds of thousands of Catholic faithful holding candles in the dusk, Pope John Paul II urged young pilgrims Saturday to become builders of a new civilization of freedom, peace and love. The crowd of more than 500,000 at the World Youth Day vigil cheered him wildly, waving flags from every corner of the world and chanting his name in open affection. Speaking in French and English from beneath a 160-foot cross, the 82-year-old pontiff said the new millennium opened with two contrasting scenarios: the sight of pilgrims in Rome for the Holy Year, and the "terrible terrorist attack on New York, an image that is sort of an icon of a world in which hostility and hatred seem to prevail." "The question that arises is dramatic: On what foundation must we build the new historical era that is emerging from the great transformations of the 20th century?" the pontiff asked. His voice strong despite symptoms of Parkinson's disease and other health problems, John Paul asked whether it was enough to rely on the technological revolution without referring to an individual's spiritual dimension. The answer: "Christ alone is the cornerstone on which it is possible to build one's existence." "The 20th century often tried to do without that cornerstone and attempted to build the city of man without reference to Him. It ended by actually building that city against man," John Paul said. He urged young people to be the builders of a "civilization of love" and learn "to build brick by brick, the city of God within the city of man." John Paul waved at the leaping, shouting young people along the route of his "popemobile" as it made its way to a giant stage adorned with the cross, which was visible for miles. Among those in the crowd was Prime Minister Jean Chretien. For one of the few times so far on the trip that began Tuesday, John Paul used a cart pushed by aides to cross the stage, his normal practice in recent months. In Canada, he had made a point of walking with a cane, usually with an aide holding his arm. Singing songs and carrying what they needed to spend the night outdoors, the crowd jammed streets in north Toronto to get to the concrete expanse at Downsview Park as big as 180 soccer fields. A Mass today in the park will conclude nearly a week of activities marking World Youth Day, an event inaugurated by John Paul in 1985. More than 200,000 young Catholics from 170 nations registered this year, a decline from previous years. Organizers expect up to 1-million people at today's Mass. On Monday, the pope proceeds to Guatemala, then to Mexico to complete his 11-day trip, the 97th of his nearly quarter-century papacy. While aides had expressed concern that the trip would be too much for his declining health, the pope has surprised all by looking stronger and speaking more clearly than in recent months.
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