European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 06, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse I on the Road Withuhn Paul by William d. Montalbano los Angeles times f there was any lingering doubt in has become Plain to All thai Pope John Paul ii likes being on the Road be in the provincial towns in Southern Chad where he a few weeks ago Rich nations and poor North and South City or town the most travelled pontiff in history apparently wants to see them All he has Lew rivals Lor the title of most travelled world Leader of the Century according to Vatican officials who keep track of his travels with the painstaking precision of medieval manuscript illuminator the places the Pope visits Are As different As Arctic Fords and the Back country villages where he found himself recently but by now the logistics of papal travel Are As constant and As familiar As his Calls for peace and Uslick even though Many of the countries John Paul visits Are poor and Remote his travels Are usually smooth if exhausting still despite All the planning there Are inevitably surprises Lor the Pope and Lor those who travel with him in one of the West african lands on recent visit a Rookie us ambassador searched the embassy Library for Iho Correct Way to address a Pope not your not your Eminence not your Grace not even your the Book said but holy father thus prepared the ambassador took his place in the receiving line silently rehearsing. Welcome holy when the Pope grasped his hand and looked him straight in the Eye. The ambassador recounted later he lost his Cool United slates " he blurted John Paul who makes his own protocol smiled and responded a. How wonderful " it is customary for John Paul to kiss the ground when he first sets foot in a country. But he does t do so on subsequent visits in 1980. He visited upper Volla. And in keeping with custom he kissed the ground since then a new government has changed Iho country s name to Turkina faso during the recent visit As the Pope descended from his plane in Ouagadougou the country s capital he looked quizzically at an aide who looked quizzically Back with what seemed a menial shrug the Pope Knelt and kissed the ground a Lew hours later a papal spokesman assured reporters that there had been a missed signal countries that change name Between visits cannot in future expect a second kiss nearly everywhere the Pope visits is freshly scrubbed in Africa the smells were those of Reoh paint and Liberal applications of Dot Cape verde spent $600,000 on a new Road to Praia the capital where the Pope said mass and the police reportedly shot 792 stray dogs As part of a municipal cleanup the president of neighbouring Togo Lent his armoured Mercedes for the Pope s use in Turkina faso in Cape verde. Portugal sent air Force transport planes ambulances and doctors to help its former Colony Greet the Pope the United states chipped in with a loan of the Vatican obviously has no shortage of toy funds and Pope John Paul ii puts them to Good use. At tar left the Pontillo admires rugs presented to him by american indians during a . Visit in 1987. At left he inspects an Honor guard during his visit to Malawi last april. Above he kisses the ground upon arrival in Santiago Chile in 1987. The embassy Waler Lank truck painted with and Vatican hags sometimes countries thai expect a future papal Visil Send observers along to learn what to expect in 1988. Lor example. Scandinavian diplomats shadowed Iho papal party in France in Advance of John Paul s visit to Scandinavia Las Spring a Africa. Vatican wore intrigued to note that Lor the first time soviet reporter travelled the papal press corps John and soviet president Mikhail s Gorbachev arc promoting a papal visit to the soviet Union in the Sahel of Africa where misery is a Way Olmo or most people amenities arc Lew faced with a papal visit most people did their Best a hotel in Guinea Bissau aghast a the discovery thai the City was not pumping Waler at Dawn As the papal parly Ore pared to leave sent a messenger to ask Lor help it came alas within Hall an hour water gushing from laps loll open by disgruntled reporters was tricking through hotel ceilings As John Paul hew Home from chad., the papal trackers added four new countries another eight Days and 8. Edo Miles to his remarkable travel log completing his 45th foreign trip the 54th abroad by a modern Pope. John Paul has now visited 91 of the world s 172 countries delivering 1 ,559 speeches along the Way since his election in october 1978 he has been abroad Lor 319 Days about 8 percent of his Lime As Pope on journeys that covered enough Miles to Circle the Earth 1 7 times or almost to the Moon and Back and there is More or come Czechoslovakia in april. Mexico in Early May Malta in late May. East Alica in the fall tuesday february 6. 1990 the stars and Shipto rage
