Spanish youth rally reinvigorates pope

MADRID - Pope John Paul II urged hundreds of thousands of young people Saturday to be "artisans of peace," telling a rally outside Madrid that violence and terrorism are sowing hatred and death in the world.

Pressing ahead with foreign travel despite his physical infirmities, the pope made peace a theme of the opening day of his weekend visit to Spain, reinforcing his opposition to the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

"Dear young people, you well know how concerned I am about peace in the world," he said in a clear voice. "The spiral of violence, of terrorism and war provokes, even in our days, hatred and death."

Police estimated that up to 600,000 young people - well above the church's prediction - filled the grounds of the Cuatro Vientos air base near Madrid.

The government of Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, which includes several Catholic ministers, supported the Iraq war, although the majority of Spaniards were opposed.

John Paul said peace was a "gift from heaven" that must be achieved through a "profound interior conversion."

"Respond to the blind violence and inhuman hate with the fascinating power of love," John Paul said.

His remarks on peace were interrupted by applause and shouts of "Viva el Papa."

The Vatican maintained that the war in Iraq was neither morally nor legally justified. With the fall of Saddam Hussein, it has suggested that the United Nations play a role in reconstruction efforts.

"John Paul II has spoken out for peace, and was not listened to, just like many other people around the world who asked for peace and said no to war," said Lupe Armas, a 30-year-old elementary school teacher from the Canary Islands.

"We Christians love life. This pope is going to be remembered as the pope of young people and the pope of peace."

As often happens at such rallies, seeing so many young people seemed to reinvigorate the pope. At one point he called himself "a young man of 83" - which he turns on May 18. He also stood up during one prayer, holding on to both arms of the chair for support.

The pope's 32-hour trip, his fifth visit to Spain and 99th foreign tour of his papacy, was a test of his frail health. John Paul suffers from the symptoms of Parkinson's - a progressive neurological disorder - that include slurred speech and trembling hands. He also has knee and hip ailments that make walking difficult.

He appeared in good form after the 21/2-hour flight from Rome. After the crowd sang "John Paul Two, the whole world loves you," he joked: "At least in Spain they do."

The Spanish church expected up to 1-million people to attend an outdoor Mass today when the pope will proclaim two priests and three nuns as saints. One of the priests was killed in 1936 during the opening days of the Spanish Civil War and has been declared a martyr of the church.

The Spanish trip is the start of an ambitious travel agenda that includes visits to Croatia and Bosnia in June and possibly Mongolia in August. John Paul had not traveled abroad since visiting his Polish homeland in August.

That has led some to speculate that history's most traveled pontiff was giving up foreign travel because of health problems.

"The pope's well," spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls told reporters on the plane from Rome.

Navarro-Valls said he recently reminded John Paul that his nearly 25-year papacy is the church's fourth longest.

The pope shot back: "Who are the other three?"

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