World In Brief : BURUNDI : Dying AIDS Victims Consoled by Pontiff

Pope John Paul II toured a Bujumbura, Burundi, hospital crowded with dying AIDS victims and said he shared their suffering. It was the last day of his three-day visit to the central African nation. The pontiff then flew to neighboring Rwanda on the third leg of his 10-day African tour. He was told by doctors at the Bujumbura hospital that 85% of the patients suffered from AIDS. At the end of the visit, the Pope instructed the Vatican’s undersecretary of state to write a check for $10,000 as a donation to the hospital.