The World - News from Dec. 31, 1987

Pope John Paul II will make a tour of five Nordic countries in 1989, the first papal visit ever to the region, a spokesman for the Roman Catholic Church said in Copenhagen. The Pope’s trip to Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland will probably take place in June, 1989, and last about 10 days, the spokesman said. The pontiff is likely to meet with leaders of the Lutheran Church, the dominant religion in the region since the Protestant Reformation of the 16th Century. Catholics in the five countries total only about 170,000, or an average of less than 1% of the population.