VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul II entered his 25th year as pope Wednesday, praying for strength to carry on and changing one of the most well-known Church traditions, the Rosary.
Tens of thousands of pilgrims and tourists cheered as John Paul, one of the longest-serving pontiffs, arrived in St. Peter's Square to celebrate the 24th anniversary of the start of his pontificate.
The pope didn't dwell on his legacy — which has included a hand bringing down communism in eastern Europe and prayers for peace in dozens of countries — but he did make clear he intended to do more before he was finished.
The frail, 82-year-old pope recalled that during his recent trip to Poland, he asked the Virgin Mary for strength "in body and spirit" to continue his mission "until the end."
"I repeat those words today, giving thanks to God for the 24 years of my service to the Church in the See of Peter," he said Wednesday. "I once again entrust to the Blessed Virgin my future."
John Paul appeared tired during the two-hour audience, and his voice was weaker than in recent weeks. His right hand trembled, a symptom of Parkinson's disease, as he signed the document outlining the changes in the Rosary.
But he led a hymn to Mary in his native Polish, joined by his countrymen among the nearly 30,000 people in the square, and appeared to pick up in spirits and strength by the end of the two-hour audience.
John Paul used his anniversary to make additions to the centuries-old Rosary, a series of prayers, many of them dedicated to Mary, that are said over and over again with the help of beads.
He proclaimed the start of the Year of the Rosary, and urged Catholics to take advantage of the new focus on the Rosary to revive their faith and flagging practice of one of the most universally known Church prayers.
"We must rediscover the profound mysticism contained in the simplicity of this prayer, dear to popular tradition," the pope told the crowd.
Traditionally, Catholics are supposed to contemplate three periods, or mysteries, of Christ's life as they recite the Rosary: the joyous mysteries surrounding his birth, the sorrowful mysteries surrounding his crucifixion, and the glorious mysteries of his resurrection.
On Wednesday, John Paul added another set of mysteries: the "mysteries of light," which highlight five different periods of Christ's life.
They are: his baptism; the wedding feast at Cana, where according to the Bible, he transformed water into wine; his proclamation of the coming of the Kingdom of God; the Transfiguration, when God commanded the apostles to listen to Christ; and the institution of the Eucharist.
John Paul lamented that fewer and fewer Catholics are reciting the Rosary, particularly young Catholics, and said its revival was particularly needed in the aftermath of Sept. 11, since it represented a prayer for peace, and to strengthen the family.
The rosary is still incredibly popular, however, and Marco di Porto was doing brisk business at his religious souvenir stand in St. Peter's Square on Wednesday, selling 10-and 5-euro Rosaries.
"Rosaries are the most sought-after object," he said.
John Paul has said the Rosary is his favorite prayer, and the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, headlined its Wednesday afternoon editions by calling his proclamations "symbolic gestures" on the first day of his 25th year as pope.
The Vatican issued a spate of statistics about the pope's first 24 years, saying he had made 98 foreign trips covering 742,020 miles, elevated 464 saints and held 1,430 audiences and meetings with political leaders.
Only four popes have served longer than John Paul, and he is closing in on two of them. By Vatican count, the record is held by St. Peter, the first pope, listed as serving either 30 or 37 years.
He has already outlived many of those seen as possible successors, although he is frail and suffers from the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, as well as knee and hip problems.
Unlike the robust pontiff who hiked and skied in the Alps after he was elected to the Chair of St. Peter in 1978, John Paul today is now wheeled around during public appearances in a cart-like vehicle to spare him from walking.
Although a proposed trip to the Philippines in January has been ruled out, a sign that John Paul is slowing down, Vatican officials insist that the most traveled pope in history will continue foreign pilgrimages with a visit to Croatia next spring.
The pope said Wednesday he also intended to visit Pompeii, in southern Italy, to pray before a Marian shrine dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary.