Pope highlights role of family
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The pope during a Mass at Rijeka.
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 (Seeing the pope) was like seeing Keanu Reeves, but so much better. 
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-- Literature student Sanja Sijanec
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VIDEO
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Pope John Paul II finds strength in people during his Croatian visit. CNN's Alessio Vinci reports.
CNN's Alessio Vinci and TIME correspondent Wilton Wynn discuss the pope's 100 trips. (June 5)
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RIJEKA, Croatia (CNN) -- As his 100th pilgrimage neared its end Sunday, Pope John Paul II urged tens of thousands of Croatian followers to concentrate on ordinary problems affecting families.
"I'm thinking of the serious problems associated with housing and employment," John Paul told an estimated 100,000 people in the Croatian port of Rijeka.
"It must not be forgotten that in helping the family, we also help to resolve other important problems, such as providing assistance to the sick and the elderly, stopping the spread of crime and finding a remedy to drug abuse."
Unemployment runs about 20 percent in Croatia, which is still struggling with the aftermath of its war for independence from the former Yugoslavia. The country is 80 percent Roman Catholic, and the Vatican was among the first to recognize Croatia's independence in 1992.
The 83-year-old pontiff appeared tired as he led Mass in the hot sun, but his eyes were often alert, seeking contact with the crowd.
"I'm not really a fan of big gatherings," one woman told CNN. "I'm not a fanatic. But if he can do it, I can do it."
John Paul is scheduled to return to the Vatican Monday. Despite age and lingering illness, papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said John Paul has no intention to give up plans for future trips.
"He is amazing," Navarro-Valls said. "What you can see everywhere is the inner strength of this man who keeps going without even asking, 'Am I tired? Is this too much?' He just keeps the pace -- the pace he has imposed on himself."
The pontiff plans to visit Bosnia, another former Yugoslav republic, for a one-day trip at the end of June, and plans are still under way for trips to Slovakia and Mongolia later this year.
During his 25 years as head of the Catholic church, the pope has covered more than 700,000 miles in his treks and has delivered more than 2,300 speeches. He has visited more than 600 cities, some more than once, and 179 countries.
-- CNN Correspondent Alessio Vinci contributed to this report.
