Clouds over Easter in the Vatican

Easter is a time of rejoicing for the one billion Catholic Christians of this world. But for Pope John Paul II, this year's Easter celebrations are clouded by a shadow. The 81-year-old pontiff is troubled by sex scandals within the Catholic church and by severe health problems.

In addition, concern for the Middle East - the Holy Land - troubled him this Easter. In Sunday's Easter message, Pope John Paul said it seemed that war had been declared on peace in the Holy Land. He appealed for an end to what he called a spiral of abuse of power and killing.

Arthritis and Parkinson's

His frail health made it difficult for the Pope to perform some of the Easter rituals this year. The 81-year old Pope has trouble walking because of an arthritic knee. He is also suffering from Parkinson's disease.

On Thursday, he was driven in and out of St. Peters church on a movable platform and delivered his sermon sitting down. Nevertheless John Paul II appeared alert and got up from his chair a few times during the service.

Too frail for central rituals

This year, the Pope was unable to perform one some of the central rituals of the Easter celebrations for the first time in the 23 years of his pontificate.

At Thursday evening's mass, two cardinals had to stand in for him to wash and kiss the feet of twelve priests. The ritual is celebrated every year and commemorates Christ's gesture of humility to his apostles the night before he died.

Good Friday is traditionally marked by a the Way of the Cross, a procession around Rome's Colosseum. The faithful reenact the stations of Christ's suffering as he was condemned to be crucified.

On Friday night, some 30,000 people from all over the world came to the Colosseum to take part in the Way of the Cross and to see the Pope.

But this year, the Pope was too frail to lead the Way of the Cross procession. He sat on a chair and watched the faithful go by – another first in the pontificate of John Paul II.

Prayer for the Middle East

In masses on Sunday and on Friday, the pope and the priests who assisted him in celebrating mass read out special prayers for the Middle East.

In response to the escalation of violence in the West Bank, the Pope appealed for peace in the Holy Land. "Remember Jerusalem, blessed by your love, ravaged by human hatred. Grant to the men and women of that Holy Land peace and resurrection," one of the prayers said.

Sex scandals rock the Church

In one of his sermons on Thursday, the Pope alluded to another problem that has been troubling him in recent weeks: Apart from health problems, he has had to deal with sex scandals in the Catholic church. Priests in his native Poland and in the U.S. have admitted to cases of pedophilia.

"We pray for our priestly brothers who have not lived up to the commitments they made when they were ordained or who are going through a period of difficulty and crisis," the Pope said.

On Thursday, the Pope had to accept the resignation of Archbishop Juliusz Paetz, 67, the head of the diocese of Poznan in western Poland. Paetz is accused of molesting trainee priests and young clerics.

Polish priests claim the Archbishop repeatedly visited the lodgings of seminarians at night. Paetz has denied all charges of sexual misconduct.

The allegations have come as a shock to the deeply religious Poles. The Church still exerts strong influence in the devoutly Catholic country.

Similar charges have recently surfaced in the United States. A number of American clerics admitted to abusing children and hushing up the affairs for years.

The Pope commented on the sex scandals for the first time last week. In an open letter he said that priests who abused minors were committing the worst possible form of evil.

Strenuous Easter week

The Easter celebrations put high demands on the Pope. Two masses on Thursday were followed by the Good Friday rituals: a mass and the Way of the Cross. The Pope also celebrated an Easter Vigil on Saturday and a mass on Sunday. The festivities ended with the traditional "Urbi et Orbi" blessing for the city of Rome and the world.