A frail and tired looking Pope John Paul arrived in Slovakia for a four-day visit on Thursday and needed help to give his arrival address urging Europe to remember its Christian roots.
Hundreds of followers gathered under clear autumn skies waving banners -- many in his native Polish -- with messages of love and peace to greet the 83-year-old Roman Catholic leader as he began his 102nd trip outside Italy.
The Pontiff, who suffers from Parkinson's disease and arthritis, has been looking exceptionally weak this summer and trembled noticeably as he sat through the ceremony. He was unable to complete his one-page arrival address on his own.
Aides made the decision on the spot to call upon a Vatican official to continue the reading. After several minutes of rest the pope then picked up the reading again and appeared to recognize some of the Church officials he greeted afterwards.
The pope has in the past relied on other priests to read part of his speeches in difficult languages but this time the change appeared to be caused by fatigue as it was in a Slavic language very similar to his native Polish.
The message of the address, however, was clear and strong, telling Europeans to maintain Christian values, a theme he will repeat in an ambitious schedule of masses across the country.
The journey, his fourth and last foreign visit of the year, comes a month before the 25th anniversary of his historic election and weeks before a key meeting of EU leaders in Rome.
The European Union, which Slovakia and 10 other mainly post-Communist nations will join next May, is debating a draft constitution. The politicians who drew it up chose to avoid mentioning the word Christianity, referring instead to Europe's "cultural, religious and humanist inheritance."
While most governments in the West are set to secular norms -- divorce and abortion are legal almost everywhere, and gay marriages are becoming more frequent -- the character of central European states is still seen as open to other influences.
"In the near future, your country will become a full member of the European community. Dearly beloved, bring to the construction of Europe's new identity the contribution of your rich Christian tradition," the pope said in his arrival address, his voice cracking and barely audible at times.
The pope wants an explicit reference to Christianity but is opposed by secular countries such as France. Some states fear it would be a slight to other religions, such as Judaism and Islam, and to atheists.