NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

      VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- Pope John Paul II will meet with Congo's President Laurent Kabila in a private audience at the Vatican on Tuesday, November 24.

      The meeting will be a brief one, because the Holy Father is attending all sessions of the special synod of bishops for Oceania. Nevertheless, because the continuing civil war in Congo has been a matter of deep concern at the Holy See, the Pope will make time for the encounter.

      Kabila is in Europe for a series of meetings with world leaders. He will visit Italy's President Luigi Scalafaro tomorrow, and is expected in France later this week for a meeting of African leaders and visits with leading French diplomats. While in Rome, Kabila will also visit the leaders of the St. Egidio community, which has gained an international reputation for mediating conflicts in African countries.