POPE TAKES A BOAT RIDE ON LAKE SIMCOE

VATICAN CITY, JUL 25, 2002 (VIS) - Holy See Press Office Director, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, related yesterday to journalists who are traveling with the Pope on his apostolic trip to Toronto how the pontiff spent his first day of rest on Strawberry Island.
Navarro-Valls said that John Paul II had slept well despite the time difference (when he arrived in Canada it was 1 p.m. while in Rome it was 7 p.m.) and that on Wednesday morning he had gotten up early and had prayed for an hour and a half in the small chapel in the residence where he is staying. Afterward, he celebrated Mass with his personal secretary, Msgr. Stanislaw Dziwisz.

Due to good weather, the Pope decided to take a boat ride on Lake Simcoe. Navarro-Valls said that a group of handicapped children who live in a home on the waterfront saw the Pope pass by and approached him in pedal boats. The Pope greeted each one of them (approximately 20 or 25), blessed them and gave them each a rosary.

Upon returning from the outing which lasted two hours, the Pope decided to have lunch outside in light of the good weather. Later on, he went for a ride in a golf cart and spent time reading.

The Holy Father will leave Strawberry Island this afternoon in order to participate in the welcome ceremony that thousands of young people, participants in the 17th World Youth Day who come from 173 countries, will give him. The event will take place at Exhibition Place in Toronto. Afterward, the Pope will return by helicopter to the island.

On Friday, 14 youths of different nationalities will travel to Strawberry Island to have lunch with John Paul II. Three are from Canada, 1 from Germany, 1 from India, 1 from the United States, 1 from the Sudan, 1 from China (Hong Kong), 1 from Kenya, 1 from Haiti, 1 from Peru, 1 from Australia, 1 from Jordan and 1 from Bosnia-Herzegovina.

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