Pope John Paul II, who is recovering from an illness that forced his hospitalization for 10 days earlier this month, has addressed pilgrims at the Vatican by video hook-up.
He did not appear at the window of his apartment overlooking St. Peter's Square Wednesday, after Vatican officials decided that brisk winds and rain posed a risk to his frail health.
However, in a video link, the 84-year-old pontiff greeted visitors in six languages. Tuesday, the Vatican officially released the pope's fifth book Memory and Identity. It denied accusations by Jewish groups that Pope John Paul II is equating abortion with the World War II Nazi Holocaust.
A senior church official said the pontiff, whose book describes abortion and the holocaust as manifestations of evil, wants to call attention to the danger of evil.
Some information for this report provided by AFP and AP.
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