VATICAN CITY (AFP) - Pope John Paul II has lost 19 kilogrammes (42 pounds) in a few weeks and there is great concern over his chances of recovery, a Vatican source said yesterday as Church opinion-makers questioned whether he should carry on appearing in public.

Doctors began feeding the pontiff through a nasal tube on Wednesday, the Vatican announced, admitting that his recovery from a throat operation was "slow."

"He has lost an estimated 19 kilos" since undergoing an operation on February 24 to insert a breathing tube in his throat, said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Four nurses were doing 24-hour shifts to take care of the once robust pope nicknamed "God's Athlete," the source told AFP.

There was "great concern" in the Vatican over the 84-year-old pope's chances of recovery, the source said.

The pope was visibly thinner and frail in his appearance at his window on Wednesday, and Vatican photographers and cameramen have been ordered to not take any close-up pictures of the pontiff during his appearances, the source said.

Church opinion-makers are divided over whether John Paul II should be seen in public, some saying it set an example of strength and others denouncing it as "spectacle."

Others, like Father Antonio Sciortino of Italy's "Christian Family" weekly, believe that through his appearances the pope's "message is strengthened to the point of the being able to touch the hearts of non-believers."

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