Avoid Contrary Ideologies, Pontiff Urges Venezuelans

Pope John Paul II brought his South American pilgrimage to a colorfully dressed crowd in the foothills of the Andes today, urging them during Mass to steer clear of ideologies contrary to church teaching.

The Pope arrived in Merida to the cheers of thousands on a clear, crisp morning, and emphasized the theme of his tour--fidelity to the church and discipline. He flew to this university center from Venezuela’s oil capital of Maracaibo on the third day of his Latin American tour.

“To be faithful to the church means to not let yourself be taken in by doctrines or ideologies contrary to Catholic dogma, which some groups of materialistic inspiration or of doubtful religious content would like,” John Paul said from a red-carpeted and flower-covered altar.

The Pope, before celebrating Mass, greeted the people, many of whom wore typical brightly colored Andean ponchos and had camped out since Sunday night. He helped plant an evergreen while thousands chanted, “Long live the Pope!”

Vatican officials describe Merida, 442 miles from the tropical capital of Caracas and the home of the University of The Andes, as one of the most religious areas in all of Venezuela. It has been the seat of a bishop since 1778.

John Paul also planned to attend a youth gathering tonight at a stadium in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, and to meet with members of the Latin American Ecclesiastic Conference, which includes Archbishops Arturo Rivera y Damas of San Salvador and Miguel Obando y Bravo of Managua. The pontiff welcomed them during a Mass celebrated Sunday night.

John Paul has offered to mediate the Central American conflicts, and Obando y Bravo has held frequent talks with him about the tense church-state relations in Nicaragua and the four priests in the leftist government. The four face suspension for refusing to resign their posts.

Since arriving Saturday in this nation of 16 million people to start a 12-day, four-nation tour, the pontiff has restated traditional teaching on family issues and told the country’s Catholic bishops to discipline theologians who deviate from church doctrine.