Pope to visit Ukraine

The Pope wants to reach Russia, but must settle for Ukraine

By David Willey in Rome

The Vatican has announced that Pope John Paul will visit the Ukraine next June.

The journey will be one of the most delicate of the entire Pontificate, given the current poor relations between Rome and the Russian Orthodox hierarchy.

The Pope has long wanted to visit Moscow, but this has been ruled out for the foreseeable future by the Russian patriarch.

Metropolitan Alexei accuses the Roman Catholic Church of actively seeking converts in lands that traditionally adhere to the Orthodox faith.

Wary

Ukraine, however, is another story.

A community of Eastern Rite Catholics lives in the western Ukraine; they have been in communion with Rome for 400 years and were almost wiped out under Stalin.

Increasingly frail, but not resigning

During the past 10 years, they have re-established themselves in an area that used to belong to Poland.

The Greek Catholics - or Uniates, as they're called - have been accused of illegally occupying churches belonging to the local Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The Pope will have to tread warily indeed in the Ukraine to avoid giving offence to local Orthodox Christians.

The Vatican spokesman, Joaquin Navarro, also issued a firm denial of the Pope's possible resignation next year.

The latest speculation, based on the Pope's slowly-declining health, surfaced in the German media.