Vatican expert: Pope won't resign
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VATICAN CITY (CNN) -- Pope John Paul II is not considering resignation despite increasingly frail health, according to a Vatican expert.
Vittorio Messori, a leading Catholic author who helped the pope write a best-selling book, said Thursday the pontiff has rejected the possibility of stepping down in the past and has not changed his mind.
"I must confess: In seeing that the situation appeared to be worsening in such a visible way, I have wondered whether John Paul II might consider reviewing his decision" not to resign, Messori said in a front-page article in the Corriere della Sera newspaper.
But, he added, "John Paul II will not step down."
Messori's comments come one day after the Vatican said the pope was being fed through a nasal tube in an effort to boost his calorie intake five weeks after undergoing tracheotom.
The 84-year-old pope still has a tube inserted in his windpipe to help his breathing, the Vatican says.
"To improve his calorific intake and promote an efficient recovery of his strength, nutrition via the positioning of a nasal-gastric tube has begun," Joaquin Navarro-Valls said in a statement released Wednesday.
Earlier Wednesday, the pope appeared at his studio window and blessed the thousands of faithful in St. Peter's Square.
He appeared alert during the four-minute appearance, which drew cheers from the crowd gathered beneath his window.
He raised his hand in blessing and made the sign of the cross as a Vatican official read greetings and prayers.
A microphone was raised to his face as he tried to speak, but the words were not clear.
The pope has spent a total of 28 days in two stints at Rome's Gemelli hospital in the past two months.
He suffers from a number of chronic illnesses, including crippling hip and knee ailments and Parkinson's disease, a progressive neurological disorder that can make breathing difficult.
Copyright 2005 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
