Schoolgirls, Torrent Greet Pope

Pope John Paul II today began a three-day visit to Paraguay, the last stop on his South American tour. His jet touched down in a torrential rainstorm as drenched schoolgirls in white smocks chanted a greeting.

President Alfredo Stroessner, who has ruled this nation for 34 years, awaited the pontiff inside an airport boarding area protected from the rain. Stroessner’s government tried last week to alter the papal schedule in Paraguay by canceling a meeting with opposition leaders, a move the Vatican said was unprecedented. The government later backed down.