NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

      VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- The Vatican is actively considering a papal trip to Vietnam, although the country's Communist government has not yet authorized such a visit.

      According to the Fides new agency, a Vatican delegation will travel to Hanoi in February or March for discussions on the possibility of a papal trip. The Vietnamese bishops have already issued an invitation, and the country was discussed as the possible site for a visit during which the Holy Father would promulgate an apostolic exhortation summarizing the work of the Synod of Asian bishops. That Synod convened in Rome during April and May 1998.

      One possible time for a trip would be August 1999, when the Pope could participate in ceremonies marking the 200th anniversary of the apparition of the Virgin Mary at La Vang, which has now become the country's most popular Marian shrine and pilgrimage site. The visit would also give the Pontiff an opportunity to prod the Communist regime toward increasing religious freedoms.