NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

      VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- On the eve of Pentecost Sunday, Pope John Paul II will meet with leaders of many of the new lay movements within the Catholic Church, which he has frequently mentioned among the fruits of renewal since the Second Vatican Council.

      The Holy Father has also spoken recently of the "maturity" of these movements, and their need to develop a strong sense of communion with the universal Church and the body of bishops.

      The meeting, organized by the Pontifical Council for the Laity, will bring together 56 movements, including 20 charismatic groups, to a May 30 session at St. Peter's Square. About 150,000 participants are expected.

      Among the largest groups in attendance will be the Neocatechumenate Way, with 47,000 members; Communion and Liberation, with 28,000; Focolari, with 25,000; Regnum Christi (the lay movement affiliated with the Legionaries of Christ) with 10,000; and the St. Egidio Community, with 5,000.