Oklahoma Catholic leaders urge prayer for pope

Saturday, April 2nd 2005, 4:07 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Oklahoma's Roman Catholic leaders expressed sadness Friday at the worsening health of Pope John Paul II, who suffered heart and kidney failure and is reportedly near death.

In separate news conferences, the Most Rev. Eusebius Beltran, archbishop of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Rev. Edward J. Slattery, bishop of the Tulsa Diocese, urged Oklahoma Catholics to pray for the 84-year-old pope.

A special mass is set for 11 a.m. Saturday at Our Lady's Cathedral in Oklahoma City, while most Tulsa parishes are scheduled to hold special masses in the event of the pope's death.

Beltran and Slattery said they had visited with John Paul II many times and reports of his apparent suffering was difficult to hear.

``I'm emotionally involved in this moment,'' Slattery told reporters gathered for a news conference called by the Tulsa diocese. ``I feel very close to the pope. He is probably one of the greatest popes.''

Beltran said he met with the pope personally at least a dozen times in Rome and in different places around the world. Each time he came away inspired.

``The Holy Father is the one who set the tone for the church,'' Beltran said. ``I honestly believe that just as God sent Abraham, Isaac and all the others, He sent John Paul.''

The pope's aging didn't stop his efforts to share his faith and spread a message of hope across the world.

``You never heard him talking about 'I'm an old man about to die.' He talked about the future. He was always moving us forward,'' Beltran said.

Though sadness will be felt at the pope's passing, there will also be a sense of joy, he said.

``There's a certain fulfillment and joy that we experience here knowing that the Lord sent him and now he is calling him back,'' said Beltran.

God ``will bless him with life everlasting.''