WORLD : Beijing Says No to Papal Overflight
Beijing will not allow a plane carrying Pope John Paul II to fly over China when he makes a visit to Asia next month, Italy’s state airline said today.
An Alitalia spokesman said Chinese officials refused a request by the airline to fly the papal plane over the Communist country, which does not allow its Catholics to recognize him as leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
The Pope will visit South Korea, Indonesia, East Timor and Mauritius during an Oct. 6-16 trip, his 44th outside Italy. When the pontiff visited South Korea in 1984 his plane flew the polar route from Rome to Seoul with a stop in Alaska. He did not fly over China at the time.
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