ROME (AP) - Pope John Paul II renewed his appeal to the faithful Sunday to combat competition from evangelical sects, part of an ongoing effort to revive flagging enthusiasm among many Roman Catholics.
In the past, the pontiff's warnings about the rise of sects have come mainly during pilgrimages to places like Latin America, where long-standing Catholic communities are seeing many of their faithful defect to such groups.
This time, John Paul took his battle cry to a parish on the outskirts of Rome, where at least one evangelical group has a base. ``In your neighborhood, in fact, the challenge of sects isn't absent,'' the pope told the parishioners.
He urged them to show ``more faithfulness and courage in carrying out the great undertaking of the `new evangelization
a reference to his determination to shore up faith among Roman Catholics in the church's third millennium.
``It's an urgent task,'' he said.
While his words were full of fight, the 80-year-old pope seemed to struggle physically on Sunday. He walked more slowly than he has been in recent weeks, and at times he sounded breathless and his words were slurred.
Difficulty in moving and slurred speech are two common symptoms of Parkinson's disease, a progressive neurological disease. The Vatican has never confirmed widespread suspicions that John Paul has the disease.
Later, in his traditional Sunday appearance to pilgrims in St. Peter's Square, John Paul's words were often hard to make out. He noted that some Catholic anti-abortion groups were in the square.
``I want to give a special blessing to women who are expecting a baby, and, in particular, to all those who find themselves in difficult situations,'' he said. ``To all of the women I say: a child conceived is always an invitation to life and to hope.''