NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

      KIEV (CWNews.com) - The president of Ukraine on Wednesday formally issued an invitation to Pope John Paul II to visit the former Soviet republic, following reports that a visit was planned for late this year.

      "The Ukrainian president has invited the Pope to visit Ukraine," presidential spokesman Olexander Martynenko said. "All other issues regarding the visit will be discussed together with services of the Vatican." The invitation by President Leonid Kuchma was personally handed to the Holy Father by Prime Minister Valery Pustovoitenko on a recent visit to the Vatican, he said.

      On Monday, the chairman of the government's religious affairs committee had said he expected the Holy Father would visit the mainly Orthodox country in November or December of this year. Depending on the timing of a proposed visit to Romania, the papal visit to Ukraine would be the first visit by a pontiff to a primarily Orthodox country.