THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, September 23, 1995 TAG: 9509230291
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ESTHER DISKIN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Short : 42 lines
Pat Robertson will be among a small group of Christian leaders meeting with Pope John Paul II when the pope visits the United States in early October, a Christian Broadcasting Network spokesman said Friday.
Details of the meeting in New York City have not been finalized, said Gene Kapp, vice president of public relations for Robertson's network. Catholic officials in New York, who arranged the meeting, could not be reached for comment.
The pope has made Christian unity a principal goal for 2000. In June, he published an encyclical on ecumenism in which he acknowledged that the Roman Catholic Church shared blame for previous schisms between Rome and the Protestant and Orthodox churches. Since then, he has made several speeches about healing discord between the faiths.
Robertson also is focusing on cooperation among Christian denominations, Kapp said. Last year, Robertson joined a group of national religious leaders in signing a document called ``Evangelicals and Catholics Together.''
Kapp said the meeting is not tied to plans by Robertson's grass-roots political organization, the Christian Coalition, to kick off a new Catholic wing shortly before the pope's visit. The ``Catholic Alliance'' is envisioned as a way to boost the coalition's Catholic membership and distribute voter guides at Catholic churches.
Earlier this month, Roman Catholic Bishop Walter F. Sullivan sent a letter to pastoral leaders in the Richmond diocese, which includes Hampton Roads, reminding them of his longstanding policy of refusing voter guides prepared by all outside political groups. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Pope John Paul II will meet next month in New York with a samll
group of Christian leaders, including Pat Robertson.
by CNB