Pope turns 83, leads canonization Mass before tens of thousands

VATICAN CITY -- Pope John Paul II celebrated his 83rd birthday Sunday with an open-air Mass and requests for prayers so he can continue his papacy -- yet another sign that one of history's longest-serving popes will press on despite his age and ailments.

Tens of thousands of people looked on under a brilliant spring sun in St. Peter's Square as John Paul elevated two Poles and two Italians to sainthood.

Thousands of John Paul's own countrymen made a "national pilgrimage" to Rome for the birthday and canonization ceremony, waving handkerchiefs, cheering Poland's favorite son and joining the crowd for an occasional "Happy Birthday."

John Paul has repeatedly brushed aside suggestions he would step down because of his ailments, and he did so again after acknowledging birthday greetings from around the world.

He asked for people to continue to pray for him so he could "faithfully carry out the mission that the Lord has entrusted to me."

The Poles in the crowd responded with "Stolat," a traditional Polish toast meaning "May you live 100 years."

John Paul appeared in good spirits during the 2 1/2-hour service and spoke in a strong voice from the altar in front of St. Peter's Basilica.

He was in a hydraulic chair that allows him to celebrate Mass while seated.

The pope's vigor sharply contrasted with his appearance at birthday celebrations a year ago, when he struggled to read a few lines of his speech before turning it over to an aide to finish.

At that time, two prominent Vatican officials said they thought the pope would retire if his frail health deteriorated to the point where he no longer could govern his church.

On Sunday, John Paul held up the four new saints as models for today's Christians, quoting one as saying "no condition or age can be considered an obstacle to a perfect life."

The pope has canonized more saints -- 473 -- than all his predecessors of the last 500 years combined. He sees sainthood as a way to highlight role models for Catholics and bring recognition to the church in different countries.

Members of Italy's former royal family, visiting Rome after a half-century of exile, sat in a VIP area in the square.

Italian media noted something of a protocol gaffe by Marina Doria, wife of Victor Emmanuel, son of Italy's last king. She wore white, which under church protocol is reserved for reigning queens.

A large Polish delegation also attended, including the country's president, Aleksander Kwasniewski, and leading officials of Poland's powerful Roman Catholic Church.

After the ceremony, John Paul held a private luncheon with his top aides and the head of the Polish Church, Cardinal Jozef Glemp. The rest of the Polish delegation, including the president, lunched at a restaurant on top of the Vatican garage.

The birthday celebration was one of many milestones for John Paul, who recently became the fourth longest-serving pope in history. A visit to Croatia next month will be his 100th foreign tour, while the church is preparing to mark his 25th anniversary as pontiff on Oct. 16.

On Saturday, a top Vatican official acknowledged what many observers have long suspected -- that John Paul suffers from Parkinson's disease. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, head of the Congregation of Bishops, said in a newspaper interview that prayer allows the pope to cope with the ailment. The Vatican has also attributed his improvements to more rest and physical therapy.

The Vatican had never officially acknowledged the source of the pope's trembling hands and slurred speech, typical symptoms of the degenerative neurological disorder.

John Paul also suffers from crippling knee and hip ailments.

The new saints John Paul named are Jozef Sebastian Pelczar, a Polish bishop; Urszula Ledochowska, a Polish nun; Maria De Mattias, an Italian nun, and Virginia Centurione Bracelli, an Italian noblewoman.