POPE JOHN PAUL II WAVES DURING THE CELEBRATION OF A MASS IN BRATISLAVA, 2003-09-14 (photo)

Pope John Paul II waves during the celebration of a mass in Bratislava September 14, 2003. A trembling Pope John Paul II presided over a mass to honor Communist-era martyrs as he wrapped up a grueling four-day tour of Slovakia that has exposed the 83-year-old pontiff's physical frailty. At the start of the mass the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, who has Parkinson's disease and can no longer walk, looked somewhat better than he had in the previous days of his 102nd trip abroad. He read prayers in a louder and firmer tone but by the end of the three-hour mass he was trembling, spoke haltingly and an aide had to complete his farewell comments to the crowd. REUTERS/Jerry Lampen JFL/WS