NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

      VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- October 16 will be a festive day at the Vatican, as Church officials and employees pause to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the election of Pope John Paul II.

      The festivities will have a distinctly Polish tone, since an estimated 20,000 pilgrims from the Pope's native land have traveled to Rome to participate in the celebration. The delegation includes Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski, who with his wife will visit the Pope on the eve of the anniversary.

      Cardinal Josef Glemp is expected to be the principal celebrant at a Mass in St. Peter's square tomorrow, with at least 40 other bishops concelebrating. Pope John Paul is expected for the final blessing and for a brief public encounter with his many well-wishers.

      Meanwhile in Paris in anticipation of the 20th Anniversary, the French magazine La Vie said on Wednesday that many Frenchmen disapprove of the results of Pope John Paul II's 20-year pontificate, mainly because of his strong promotion of the Church's doctrines on sexual morality.

      A survey by the CSA polling firm for the magazine found that 53 percent disapproved of the Pope's work during his two decades in the Vatican while just 32 percent approved. About half of those polled said he resign now, while 35 percent said he should remain.

      The French survey of 1,000 individuals of all religious persuasions, gave the Holy Father high approval ratings for his efforts for peace, human rights, and the poor but faulted his stand on sexual morality and his battle against abortion.