Q&A: Pope marks 84th birthday
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LONDON, England (CNN) -- Pope John Paul celebrates his 84th birthday on Tuesday. CNN International Anchor Ralitsa Vasileva asked CNN's Rome Bureau Chief Alessio Vinci how the pontiff and the Vatican plan to mark the occasion.
Vasileva: Pope John Paul II marks his 84th birthday on Tuesday. Although there are no major official celebrations planned at the Vatican, the occasion is being marked by evidence that the Pope may be slower, but is not yet ready to stop. Rome Bureau Chief Alessio Vinci joins me from London. How is he going to celebrate?
Vinci: Well no major celebrations at the Vatican, Ralitsa. The Vatican does not really celebrate the pope's birthdays; what they do celebrate usually is the date of an election of the pope, and for this pope is back in October 1978. The Vatican tends to celebrate the pope's election rather than his birthday -- they believe what really is important is the pope, rather than the man himself. We do know, however, that some of his closest aides -- his assistant Sister Germana who is his cook -- will probably bake a pie and blow out some candles, in fact they probably already have, but no major celebrations at the Vatican today.
Vasileva: He is, however, coming out with a book.
Vinci: That's correct. The pope is a best-selling author. The last book he wrote in 1994 sold more than 20 million copies. There's a new book that comes out today he wrote in a few months last summer, it's called "Get up. Let's go!" These are some words from the Gospel pronounced by Jesus Christ in the last few hours before he was crucified. It is a book that goes pretty much down memory lane for Pope John Paul II. The record goes back 20 years of his life between 1958 when he was made bishop, to 1978 when he was elected Pope.
It is filled with some recollections, some nice anecdotes. For example, when he learned for the first time he as going to be made bishop in 1958, he was on a camping tour canoeing down a river in the Polish countryside. He made his way back to Warsaw, bringing with him a sleeping bag just in case he had to sleep at the train station.
Once the cardinal in Warsaw told him he was going to become a bishop, he said he wanted to go back to his camping trip first. The cardinal was a bit surprised that a man who was going to become a bishop wanted to go on a camping trip. On his journey back to the countryside, he was reading a Hemingway book -- "The old man and the sea."
The book is filled with little anecdotes and some spiritual recollections as well, such as when he rejects arguments that priests should marry, saying he never felt lonely because he knew that God was always next to him. So the book is very much a trip down memory lane, but it is also a book that many other people can read, not just people who believe in God, and this particular God.
Vasileva: He's not just going on trips down memory lane -- he has a few real trips planned, or at least one?
Vinci: There is a rumor he's going back to Mexico that he may travel to France. What we do know is that he is going to travel to Switzerland next month for a two-day trip where he'll visit a youth festival. Before that there's an important visitor at the Vatican -- U.S. President George W. Bush visits him there on June 4 -- just before the pope travels to Switzerland. So really a very important meetings for the pope and very busy schedule, despite the fact that he's 84 years old, frail, but still not showing signs of giving up.
Vasileva: Absolutely. Never give up. Alessio Vinci, thank you very much.
