Pope John Paul II blesses faithful from his studio's window overlooking St. Peter's square at the Vatican, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2002. The pontiff told parents to provide loving and nourishing settings for their children, following after the model of the holy family that raised Jesus. In the foreground is seen a branch the 28-meter (71 foot) tree from a forest in the Gorski Kotar region, Croatia that decorates the square. (AP/Pier Paolo Cito)
