TORONTO - Singing hymns and exchanging greetings in dozens of languages, Catholic youths from around the globe came to Canada for religious unity and to meet like-minded people from other cultures.
Most of all, though, they came to see and hear Pope John Paul II.
The frail, 82-year-old pontiff arrived Tuesday to take part in World Youth Day festivities, thrilling the tens of thousands of young pilgrims by slowly descending the steps from his Alitalia jet despite crippling hip and knee problems.
"We believe this could be the last World Youth Day with this pope," said Ariane Vieiraleite, 23, one of 3,000 pilgrims from Brazil. "He will be a messenger, a prophet for God."
The pope rode a golf cart Wednesday morning along some of the tree-shaded trails of the remote island where he is resting for a few days, according to the Canadian Embassy to the Holy See. His first public event will be a welcoming ceremony on Thursday.
Crowds of young people thronged Exhibition Place on the shore of Lake Ontario to watch on giant monitors as the pope's plane landed at Toronto's Pearson International Airport miles away. They formed a sea of color, with flags from many of the 170 countries represented waving in the hot afternoon sunshine.
The pilgrims cheered when John Paul appeared at the door of the plane, then shouted encouragement and praise for his determined walk down the stairs, helped by an aide clutching his left arm.
Some aides have expressed concern that the 11-day trip, which will continue to Guatemala and Mexico, may be too challenging for a man suffering from the symptoms of Parkinson's disease and the hip and knee ailments. But for the faithful, what matters is that John Paul is here.
"It's not just physical presence, it's his spiritual presence," said Jeffrey Roman, 18, from St. Peter's Youth Ministry in Olney, Maryland.
Prime Minister Jean Chretien joined other Canadian government and religious leaders in greeting the pope.
"The very fact that Your Holiness has made the trip here bears witness to your tenacity and your courage in pursuing the spiritual objectives that are at the heart of your pontificate," Chretien said.
Speaking in English and French in this officially bilingual country, John Paul thanked Toronto for welcoming the almost 200,000 pilgrims registered for World Youth Day, calling the event a crucial way to preserve hope in the young.
"Too many lives begin and end without joy, without hope," he said. "Young people are coming together to commit themselves, in the strength of their faith in Jesus Christ, to the great cause of peace and human solidarity."
Catholics from myriad cultures and countries journeyed by plane, bus and train to be close to their spiritual leader.
Leon Mamgark, 24, a Catholic Innu from the northern Canadian territory of Nunavut, wore a traditional atigi jacket and kamik boots to meet the pope in person during the airport ceremony.
"It was an enormous experience," said the librarian and volunteer firefighter. "I was inspired by him. At his age, I don't know if I would be able to go on like that."
After the ceremony, John Paul boarded a military helicopter to the remote Strawberry Island in Lake Simcoe, 50 miles (81 kilometers) north of the city, where he will rest before his first World Youth Day event Thursday. He asked for the helicopter to fly over downtown Toronto so he could see the crowds of pilgrims at Exhibition Place.
The pilgrims, most aged 16 to 35, have come for activities that include catechism classes with bishops, a welcoming ceremony with the pope, a re-enactment of the stations of the cross along a downtown avenue, and an all-night vigil followed by the final Mass on Sunday.
This year's event will probably be the most lightly attended World Youth Day since John Paul initiated it in the mid-1980s. Millions attended similar events in the past in Rome, Paris and Manila, Philippines, compared to the almost 200,000 registered so far for the one in Toronto.
Vatican Radio said Monday the low attendance could be blamed in part on the sex abuse scandals that have shaken the American church since January and uncertainties about travel since the Sept. 11 terror attack. Some pilgrims said the troubled times gave them doubts, but they gained strength from the Toronto gathering.
"You need something like this to rekindle your faith," said Eric Pogue, 18, who traveled for 18 hours by bus from St. Louis. About 55,000 Americans are among the youth in attendance.
John Paul meets privately with Chretien and other political figures on Saturday before joining the pilgrims at their nighttime vigil at a former airfield north of the city. Pilgrims will camp there before a Sunday morning Papal mass expected to draw half a million people.