Pope holds private and fruitful talks with Ramos
Pope holds private and fruitful talks with Ramos
MANILA (Reuter): Pope John Paul II and Philippine President
Fidel Ramos yesterday sought through personal contact to heal a
rift between state and church in Asia's only Catholic country.
The two met for a one-on-one chat at the presidential palace
on the second day of the Pope's visit to the Philippines before
the 74-year-old John Paul held religious services for youth
leaders attending World Youth Day celebrations.
"I briefed the Holy Father on the social reform agenda of the
government and my commitment to implement social reforms hand-in-
hand with the continuing economic progress of the country...,"
Ramos said in a statement.
He described the talks as fruitful, but did not say whether
they had discussed in detail the government's support of birth
control, the issue that has brought Ramos into conflict with the
church.
Ramos, the country's first Protestant leader, has been
bitterly attacked in recent months by Jaime Cardinal Sin, the
archbishop of Manila and the country's most vocal cleric, over
his support for birth control and what the prelate sees as the
president's dictatorial tendencies.
Notably absent from the palace was Health Secretary Juan
Flavier, who, as the architect of the government's birth-control
program, has attracted the greatest ire of the church.
Most other senior government figures were at the palace but
Flavier told the Philippine News Agency he had been too busy to
attend as he had been inspecting medical support services for the
papal visit.
The Pope's schedule was unaffected by a hunt by security
forces for a group of Moslem militants suspected of preparing an
attack on him.
Senior security sources said agents were trying to track down
Abdul Mahmood Abdul Karim, an electronics expert, and his
Filipino girlfriend.
They claimed Karim, a 26-year-old man of Palestinian
extraction but carrying a Pakistani passport, was the leader of a
23-person gang that has slipped into the country.
The Philippine government has confirmed that two men have been
arrested on suspicion of posing a threat to the Pope but declined
to comment further on security grounds.
"All in all it has been very satisfactory," said Defense
Secretary Renato de Villa when asked about security.
He said security preparations were satisfactory although more
police may have to be drafted into the capital to control the
huge crowds.
Ignoring the threats, the Pope traveled through the streets in
an armored "popemobile" to an ecstatic welcome from people living
in the heart of the city.
They waved yellow and white flags and erupted into cheers and
shouts each time he waved from the glass-sided vehicle.
Before leaving the Apostolic Nunciature where he is staying,
the Pope came onto the balcony of the green and white building to
bless the crowd, a storekeeper said.
"Seeing him so close was a gift from God," said Lina Estella,
67, who traveled from Zambales, north of Manila, to see the Pope
for the second time. She also saw him during his first papal
visit to Manila in 1981.
The main part of the Pope's day was devoted to the 10th World
Youth Day celebrations.
He celebrated mass at the University of Santo Tomas for the
leaders of the tens of thousands of young foreigners and
Filipinos gathered in Manila for the Youth Day.
He told them "enormous tasks lie before the youth of the
world, especially before the Catholic youth of the Philippines,
of Asia and the Far East, on the eve of the third millennium."
The Pope is due to celebrate the climax of the Youth Day
celebrations tomorrow before leaving the next day for Papua New
Guinea. He then goes on to Australia and Sri Lanka.