Pope celebrates season of hope
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Pope John Paul II ushered in Christmas today by celebrating Midnight Mass at St. Peter&#39;s Basilica, praying that world leaders will strive for peace and that Jews, Muslims
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BETHLEHEM, West Bank  - Pilgrims and a new  Palestinian leadership celebrated Christmas in the town of  Jesus's birth with prayers for peace on Saturday, lifted by  fresh hope following Yasser Arafat's death.
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Pope Benedict XVI raised the loudest cheers of his visit to Poland when he told the late John Paul II&#039;s compatriots that their prayers were bringing his predecessor ever closer to sainthood.
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Pope John Paul II ushered in the Christmas holiday, lighting a candle for peace in his window Friday before celebrating midnight Mass in a new test of the 84-year-old pontiff's frail health.
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Pope John Paul II invites believers to display symbols of their faith with pride, despite recent rows.
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Pope John Paul II marked the 26th anniversary of his papacy, feted Friday evening by a military chorus and orchestra from Russia &#151; a country the globe-trotting pope has been unable to visit.
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Pope John Paul ushered in the New  Year with special prayers for the victims of the Asian tsunami  on Saturday, the Catholic Church's World Day of Peace.
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It&#39;s a very special day for Pope John Paul II, and well-wishers have been showering the pontiff with messages of congratulations.
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Christians around the world celebrated Christmas Saturday with Pope John Paul II leading prayers for peace and a more tranquil future, as pilgrims flocked to Bethlehem, and Iraqis stayed away from church amid fears of bomb attacks.
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Pope John Paul II shooed a dove &#151; a symbol of peace &#151; out his apartment window Sunday, chuckling with children who watched in delight as the bird flew back into his room overlooking St. Peter's Square.
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Pope John Paul has celebrated Christmas midnight mass in St Peter&#39;s Basilica in Vatican City, saying the world needs the message of Jesus more than ever.
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CASTELGANDOLFO, Italy  - Pope John Paul, looking  healthier than during his weekend pilgrimage to Lourdes and  speaking with a clear voice, thanked God Wednesday for giving  him the strength to visit the French shrine.
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LOURDES, France - A frail Pope John Paul II, breathing heavily and gasping at times, celebrated an open-air Mass on Sunday for several hundred thousand pilgrims, many in wheelchairs, at a shrine to the Virgin Mary that is associated with miraculous cures.    At one point he said "help me" in Polish while struggling through his homily in French...
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VATICAN CITY -- Pope John Paul II is making a steady recovery from flu and breathing difficulties and Vatican officials hope he will be strong enough to address Roman Catholic faithful on Sunday from his hospital suite.
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Pope Benedict XVI traveled to the city of Altoetting to hold Mass on Monday, as his sentimental homecoming to Bavaria drew well-wishers and Roman Catholics eager to hear his words.
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Worshippers brought hopes for greater peace in the coming year as they flocked to Manger Square in Bethlehem and to St. Peter&#39;s in the Vatican to hear Christmas messages urging an end to violence, particularly in the Middle East.
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Pope John Paul marked the 26th  anniversary of his pontificate on Saturday, defying medical  odds and confounding predictions about any successor.