Pope asks Swiss youths to make room for Christ in their lives

Published: 2004-06-07

BERN, Switzerland (CNS) -- On a two-day visit to Switzerland, an aging Pope John Paul II reminisced with young people about his own youth and asked them to make room for Christ in their busy lives. At an evening rally and an open-air Mass in Bern June 5-6, the pope emphasized that Christianity is more than an ideology or an institution. Its primary focus is the personal encounter with Jesus, he told a cheering crowd. The pope looked good and spoke more clearly than he had in his meeting at the Vatican June 4 with President George W. Bush. When he struggled, the enthusiastic crowds buoyed him with cheers. Despite misgivings among many Swiss Catholics about some of the church's less popular teachings, the country gave the pontiff a warm welcome. Many in his audience said they had doubts about some of the church's positions but not about this pope. "I don't agree with everything he says, but he gives so much to the people. He is an inspiration to them," said Ines Buehler, 27, a Catholic from the Bern area.

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