Pope celebrates his 84th birthday

Pope John Paul II is marking his 84th birthday with a cake baked by his cook, Sister Germana, and the publication of a new autobiography. The 200-page book, Get Up and Let Us Go , follows his journey from new Bishop of Krakow to being elected as Pope. It contains intimate reflections on the pontiff's faith and details his experiences in Communist-era Poland. Despite deteriorating health the Pope maintains a gruelling schedule of appearances and foreign trips. Vatican officials said the Pope's best birthday present would be a visit to the Swiss capital Bern at the beginning of June, when he will meet thousands of young Roman Catholics.