Main | Biography | Successors | Selection Process | Photo Essay
Quiz | Video Gallery | Pictorial Biography | Legacy

MEXICO CITY (CNN) -- Pope John Paul II's five-day visit to this overwhelmingly Catholic nation may be the 78-year-old pontiff's last, and nearly 1 million people thronged to an outdoor Mass on Sunday, as the pope attempted to strengthen Roman Catholicism for the new millenium.

Monday evening, more than 110,000 people were expected to fill the Azteca soccer stadium.

Along city streets, men and women lined up for hours on Sunday to glimpse the papal motorcade. They braved below-freezing temperatures overnight before Sunday's Mass, and hundreds of people were treated for symptoms of hypothermia and other ailments, health workers said.

After delivering earlier political messages on the dangers of capitalism, the pope concentrated on telling parents that the future of the Catholic church depends on them, as part of his theme of unity of generations during his final public appearance in Mexico.

The pope leaves Tuesday morning for St. Louis, Missouri, where he will meet President Bill Clinton, speak to a youth rally and celebrate Mass before an expected crowd of 96,000.

In Mexico, John Paul signed a declaration setting out the church's goals in the Americas for the new millennium. It condemned the evils of exploitive capitalism, drug trafficking, corruption and "the culture of death" that kills through abortion, euthanasia and the death penalty. He also preached the merit of sacrifice and self-denial.

The pope visited a hospital, where he blessed terminally ill patients and likened their suffering to that of Jesus.

"You are never alone in the face of the mystery of pain," the pope said in a message read for him by a cardinal.

During the pope's homily on Sunday, delivered in Spanish, applause erupted more than a dozen times, as did cheers of "Mexico, always faithful" and "John Paul II, the whole world loves you."

During the service, Indian percussion instruments marked the rhythm of the music and Mexicans in indigenous costumes mixed in the crowd.

Priests picked their way over mounds of garbage left by overnight campers to give communion. A few selected Catholics received communion directly from the pope, including a disabled girl dressed in a frilly first communion dress who was carried to the altar.

	The Man Behind the Pope Pictorial Biography Gallery: This Papacy: Images and Vignettes The Pope's Travels: VideoActive Map Quiz: Dynamic Version Regular Version Successors: Interactive Profiles: The Next Pope The Selection Process Legacy: Measuring This Pontiff's Impact Discuss: Message Boards

"I thank you with all my heart for your presence, so numerous," the pope told the crowd.

It was the pontiff's fourth trip to Mexico; Tuesday's visit will mark his fifth to the United States.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.