VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope John Paul II's closest aide downplayed concerns about the pope's health, but an Austrian cardinal said the pope is approaching "the last days and months of his life."

The Vatican, meanwhile, added new events to the pontiff's already heavy October schedule.

Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schonborn told the Austrian state radio ORF Oct. 2 that "the entire world is experiencing a pope who is sick, who is disabled, and who is dying -- I don't know how near death he is -- who is approaching the last days and months of his life."

The cardinal's spokesman later said his remarks were intended "philosophically."

At the Vatican the same day, Polish Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, the pope's longtime personal secretary, told reporters jokingly that many journalists who have predicted the pope's demise "are already in heaven."

His remarks came after a new round of dire media speculation on the pope's condition.

From the pope on down, no one at the Vatican has tried to hide the 83-year-old pontiff's increasing frailty and weakness in recent weeks. He is unable to stand or walk, and in several public appearances has had difficulty speaking.

But chatting with reporters as the pope met with Lithuanian President Rolandas Paksas in an adjacent room, Archbishop Dziwisz did not seem overly concerned about the pope's health.

Commenting on a German magazine report that quoted Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as asking for prayers for the ailing pope, Archbishop Dziwisz said the cardinal was "lamenting afterward, because he never gave an interview" to the magazine.

He said the remarks of Cardinal Ratzinger, head of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, were made casually in passing, and did not reflect a sense of alarm at the Vatican.

The pope suffers from a degenerative neurological disorder believed to be Parkinson's disease, and has also been slowed by arthritis of the knee and the effects of several surgeries.

The Vatican announced Oct. 2 that the pope will lead two major events Oct. 21-22 with the 30 new cardinals he named in late September.

At the public consistory Oct. 21, the pope will induct the appointees into the College of Cardinals and hand each cardinal the traditional "red hat." The 10:30 a.m. ceremony in the area in front of St. Peter's Basilica will mark the moment when they officially become cardinals.

The cardinals will hold receptions from 4:30-6:30 p.m. the same day in various rooms and halls of the Vatican.

On Oct. 22, the pope will concelebrate Mass with the new cardinals in St. Peter's Square. During the liturgy, the pope will present each cardinal with a ring designating his new office.

Vatican sources said that despite the pope's health problems no serious consideration had been given to abbreviating the traditional ceremonies. Since the time of Pope Paul VI, they said, the pope has celebrated Mass with the new cardinals the day after the consistory to distribute the rings.

The Oct. 21-22 ceremonies will add two main events onto one of the most intense weeks of Pope John Paul's pontificate. He will hold a general audience Oct. 15, celebrate a 25th anniversary Mass Oct. 16, attend a concert and hold meetings with guests and the world's cardinals Oct. 17-18, celebrate a beatification Mass for Mother Teresa Oct. 19 and meet with pilgrims Oct. 20.