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| | Word From Rome October 3, 2003 |
 | | By JOHN L. The pope’s physical struggles in Slovakia, the cancellation of his Sept. 24 general audience, and an interview with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in the German magazine Bunte in which Ratzinger invited prayers for the pope, produced widespread alarm this week that John Paul was about to die. |
 | | Contrary to conventional wisdom, which holds that John Paul II should have “stacked the deck” with like-minded conservatives in order to ensure that his successor is a man much like himself, the pope has given the Church quite a diverse bunch of new cardinals. |
 | | Downer told reporters that he had thanked the pope for the honor to Pell, saying that “most Australians” were pleased — an indirect reference to criticism from more liberal Australians, including the auxiliary bishop of Canberra, Pat Power. |
| nationalcatholicreporter.org /word/word100303.htm (4070 words) |
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