NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

      MEXICO CITY (CWNews.com) - The Latin American Episcopal Conference will meet in Havana on February 14-16, along with bishops from North America, to consider Pope John Paul II's call for greater unity in the Americas, Cardinal Jaime Ortega of Havana said on Monday.

      The Holy Father issued an apostolic exhortation in Mexico City on Saturday which following a synod of bishops from the Americas in 1997, calling for a greater unity among bishops from North and South America in addressing common problems. Cardinal Ortega also told reporters that the meeting in Havana was made possible by the Holy Father's historic visit to Communist Cuba last January.

      "For some observers, the fruit (of the Holy Father's visit to Cuba) may be modest," Cardinal Ortega said. "For the Church that lives in Cuba, the fruits have been very significant."