Pope may miss events leading up to Easter

The health of Pope John Paul II continues to improve, the Vatican said Thursday. But the ailing pontiff might miss ceremonies leading up to Easter, the most important holiday on the Christian calendar.

Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls would not say when the pope would be released from the hospital, where a week ago he underwent an emergency operation to insert a breathing tube in his neck.

Navarro-Valls told reporters it was also unclear what role John Paul, 84, will play during Holy Week beginning on Palm Sunday, March 20, and culminating in Easter the following Sunday. It is Christianity's most solemn period.

Source.