En Route to Africa, Pontiff Appeals for Nuclear Test Ban

Pope John Paul II appealed Thursday for a ban on nuclear arms testing, but withheld direct condemnation of France’s decision to resume blasts in the South Pacific.

The Pope, who is to visit the United States next month, said the French testing “must be stopped, at least controlled.”

But when pressed, he said: “France has its reasons. We should not give too much importance to these tests.”

He spoke to reporters en route to Cameroon, the first stop on his six-day African trip. The journey includes his first visit to post-apartheid South Africa.

The Pope refused to visit South Africa while it was under white-minority rule, which ended last year. A storm in 1988 forced the papal plane to make an emergency landing in South Africa, but the Pope refused to offer the kiss that traditionally marks a first-time visit.

The Pope’s 67th foreign trip ends in Kenya next week.

Today the pontiff plans to present an important Vatican document on the church’s teachings and hopes for Africa.

It is the response to a bishop’s meeting in Rome last year in which some clergymen appealed for more freedom to grapple with the problems choking their nations--particularly skyrocketing population and AIDS.

In Cameroon--a crossroads of cultures and religions--the Pope appealed for “respect and freedom for different beliefs and religions.”

Roman Catholics and Muslims each account for nearly 30% of Cameroon’s population. The rest is divided among Protestant sects and native animist groups.

The Pope also denounced the “insecurity and violence” that has claimed many lives, including Msgr. Yves Plumey in 1991. The body of the 79-year-old cleric was found tied to his bed with strips of curtain torn from his bedroom. The murder has not been solved.

Crowds standing in a tropical downpour waved yellow-and-white Vatican flags and pounded sticks as the papal motorcade passed. The Pope traveled inside a limousine, but opened the window and waved to the crowd when the rain eased.

The Pope later met with President Paul Biya, a Catholic, whose authoritarian style prompted some criticism of the pontiff’s decision to visit.