NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

      VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- Pope John Paul II today met with Congo's President Laurent Kabila to discuss the continuing civil war in that country.

      Because of his grave concern over the events in Congo, the Holy Father broke away from the Synod of Bishops for Oceania to meet with the African leader. Their conversation was held not in the library of the Apostolic Palace-- the usual site for such meetings-- but in a small room near the synod hall.

      The Pope told Kabila that he hoped negotiations-- conducted on an international level, rather than only among groups within Congo-- could produce a solution "which would preserve the principles of territorial integrity and national sovereignty, along with respect for the rights of every person and social group." The references to international negotiations and to territorial boundaries underlined the Pope's recognition that neighboring countries have become involved in the fighting within Congo.

      The Pope also acknowledged the severe difficulties which the Congolese people have undergone during the process of democratization. The Holy See has always emphasized that the Church is ready "to collaborate in the peace process and in the process of national reconstruction."

      After his meeting with Pope John Paul, Kabila also met privately with Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican Secretary of State. He then had a meeting with the St. Egidio community, based in Rome, which has undertaken the task of mediating civil disputes in several African nations.