WORLD : Pope to Seek Vatican-Soviet Ties
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VATICAN CITY — Pope John Paul II will ask Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev to agree to permanent ties for the first time between the Kremlin and the Holy See, a top Vatican official said today.
Gorbachev will arrive in Italy on Wednesday and meet with Polish-born John Paul on Friday for the first talks between a leader of the world’s Roman Catholics and a Soviet Communist Party chief.
Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro indicated that the issue of Vatican-Moscow ties, broken after the Russian Revolution in 1917, will be high on the Pope’s agenda.
“The Holy See is asking for the possibility of a type of permanent, stable relationship,” Navarro said.
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