By David Willey BBC correspondent in Toronto

The Pope has made his first public appearance in Canada at a Roman Catholic youth festival in Toronto, where he was cheered by young people from many countries.

To believe in Jesus is to accept his teaching even when it runs contrary to what others are saying

Pope John Paul II

The 82-year-old Pope was in good form as he spoke with a firm voice to a crowd variously estimated at between 200,000 and 400,000 young people.

He described himself as "an old man with a young heart" and told his young and joyful congregation to beware of earthly pleasures.

"To believe in Jesus is to accept his teaching even when it runs contrary to what others are saying," the Pope said.

Attendances down

About a quarter of those present were young Americans who had travelled from the United States across the nearby border to see the Pope.

Referring to the 11 September attacks, the Pope said: "Last year, we saw with dramatic clarity the tragic face of human malice. We saw what happens when hatred, sin and death take command."

Attendances are down at this year's World Youth Day celebrations in Canada in comparison with previous World Youth Days in Europe, and a particularly successful one in the Philippines in 1995 which attracted more than four million.

The organisers blame fear of flying after 11 September and face a considerable financial loss.

Abuse case concludes

News came during the Pope's visit that two Roman Catholic orphanages run by the Christian Brothers in Newfoundland had been ordered by a court to pay $12m compensation to victims of sexual abuse by staff.

The Pope has now resumed a brief holiday on secluded Strawberry Island, in a lake just north of Toronto, where he will stay until the weekend.

On Saturday night he will return to Toronto for a prayer vigil and then celebrate a final Sunday Mass at a former military base 15 kilometres from the city centre, which is expected to attract a congregation of up to a million.

The Pope is on the first leg of an American tour which will take him next week to Guatemala and to Mexico.