VATICAN CITY, Oct 2: A senior European cardinal said on Thursday Pope John Paul was nearing death — the latest top churchman to ring alarm bells about the state of the 83-year old pontiff’s health.

Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn made his comments on the same day the pope’s private secretary was trying to play down concerns about the pope’s evident frailty.

Pope John Paul, who suffers from Parkinson’s Disease and can no longer walk without help, has appeared weaker than normal in recent public appearances and has struggled to speak at times.

“The whole world is experiencing a pope who is sick, handicapped and dying — I don’t know how close to death he is — who is approaching the last days and months of his life,” Schoenborn told Austrian radio.

Later Schoenborn’s spokesman, Erich Leitenberger, said the comment was meant “to be seen philosophically” and should not be interpreted literally.

Schoenborn, head of the Catholic Church in Austria and archbishop of Vienna, is seen as a possible successor to the pope, who celebrates the 25th anniversary of his pontificate later this month.

The Vatican has insisted that the pope intends to push ahead with a hectic programme of events this month, including the 25th anniversary celebrations, the beatification of Mother Teresa and a ceremony to invest some 30 new cardinals named last Sunday.

The pope told pilgrims at a general audience on Wednesday that “God willing” he would make a brief trip to the southern Italian city of Pompeii next Tuesday to visit a sanctuary there.

At one point in the audience he briefly stopped speaking and a clear look of frustration passed over his face. Seeing him struggling, the large crowd broke into applause to cheer him on and after a pause he continued in his flutey, breathless voice.—Reuters