THE VATICAN: Pope John Paul marked his 24th anniversary as pontiff yesterday by saying he intended to remain in office until he died and by changing the very old and distinctively Catholic form of prayer, the rosary, for the first time in over five centuries.
Now the fifth longest-serving Pope in history, he has added a new grouping of "Mysteries" to the rosary.
He said yesterday he hoped the renewed interest in the changes would help bring peace to a post-September 11th world and harmony to the Holy Land.
He also announced that he was declaring the period between October 2002 and October 2003 "the Year of the Rosary".
Catholics should now meditate on five more events in Christ's life in the new rosary, he said, adding a further layer of spirituality to the prayer.
The rosary would now be made up of four groupings of "Mysteries" he said, instead of the previous three groupings. Included now would be the new additional "Mysteries of Light", revolving around events in Jesus's public ministry.
Until yesterday the rosary was composed of three groupings of five Mysteries, making a total of 15.
These were called "Joyful Mysteries" and included events in Jesus's early life; the "Sorrowful Mysteries" revolving around His passion and death; and the "Glorious Mysteries", involving his resurrection, and ascension.
Pope has added the "Mysteries of Light" and five events from the life of Jesus, including the Baptism in the River Jordan, his first miracle at the Wedding Feast of Cana in which he turned water into wine; his proclamation of the Kingdom of God; the Transfiguration, when he revealed his divinity to three apostles on Mount Tabor; and his institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper on the night before he died.
The rosary beads, which are used to keep track of the prayers, will not change, as only one set of Mysteries is contemplated at a time and on different days of the week.
Pope John Paul also signed a new 60-page apostolic letter, called Rosarium Virginis Mariae (The Rosary of the Virgin Mary), in which he explained the changes.
He said he hoped these would assist "a millennium which began with the terrifying attacks of September 11th, 2001, a millennium which witnesses every day in numerous parts of the world fresh scenes of bloodshed and violence."
He also said he hoped the rosary would help bring peace to the Middle East, saying Catholics could not recite it "without feeling caught up in a clear commitment" to the Holy Land.
He once again dismissed speculation that he might renounce the seat of Peter when telling the faithful in St Peter's Square yesterday that he prayed for strength to "carry out to the very end the mission assigned to me by the Risen Christ".
Opening a General Audience which marked the 24th anniversary of his election as Pope in 1978, the 82-year-old Pope "During my recent visit to Poland, I offered up this prayer to the Mother of God.
"Most Holy Mother help me find the strength of body and spirit so that I can carry out to the very end the mission assigned to me by the Risen Christ," he said.
He said that prayer last August during his visit to the Polish sanctuary of Kalwaria Zebrydowska, 40 kilometres outside Krakow, said: "I repeat those words today, thanking God for my 24 years of service to the Church on the seat of Peter."
On this special day, I once more entrust the life of the Church and that of suffering humanity into the hands of the Mother of God. I also entrust my future to Her," he said.