Danger and challenge greet Pope in Far East tour

by Christopher Howse POPE JOHN Paul escaped an assassination attempt at the first stop of his 20,000 miles trip to the far East when a bomb exploded at the stadium in Karachi where minutes later he said Mass.
Pope Pau: VI was wounded by an assassin with a knife when he visited the Philippines 10 years ago. Monday night's bomb, which killed its carrier, may have been intended for General Zia, Pakistan's ruler.
The Pope said in a 90-minute homily to 100,000 of Pakistan's 750,000 Catholics gathered in a cricket ground 'I pray that the mutual understanding and respect between Christians and Muslims will continue and grow deeper."
General Zia is transforming his country into an Islamic state. Cardinal Joseph Cordeiro commented: "Every minority wears a badge of insecurity. The Holy Father's visit will give us a big boost."
The Philippines too have problems with a religious minority. but here it is the insurgent Muslim rebel army in the South. In Manila the enemy is poverty. When the Pope landed at 8 am on Tuesday he was greeted by hundreds of thousands of cheering Filipinos.
He first met President Marcos and his wife. who between them hold a firm grip on 40 million people. most of them Catholics and most of them poor, then Cardinal Jaime Sin, the primate Mr Marcos took the first opportunity to declare that he backed the Pope's concern about poverty which he had made clear in South America. The Pope replied: "Even in exceptional situations that may at times arise, one can never justify any violation of the fundamental dignity of the human person or of the basic rights that safeguard this dignity."
Last week saw the dressing up of the part of Manila's slums the Pope was to visit on Wednesday, reminiscent of the Potemkin village facades of Tsarist Russia. The Pope had the same problem that he met in Brazil of contacting the real poor.
Just as in Brazil, the Pope denounced Marxist and violent reactions to injustice and poverty. He hoped for cooperation that avoided the class struggle. materialism or violent ideologies, according to his speech at the Presidential Palace.
As in all his trips, the Pope was careful to include Our Lady by visiting the Philippines national shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help directly after the official welcome.
The Pope faces an intensive timetable on this his longest tour. Little time is allowed for sleep. After an evening Mass at Karachi, he started his Filipino tour at midnight GMT, 8 am local time and continued with engagements into the evening.
Two highlights or the trip were scheduled for Wednesday — the visit to Tondo slums in the morning and the beatification of 16 martyrs in the afternoon. He also had a prayer meeting with young people among his plans.
On Thursday there was to be a Mass for peace, a meeting with missionaries and a Mass at Lahur airport. Another Mass for the crowds was due for Friday morning at Davao City airport, and in the afternoon meetings with workers on a sugar plantation.
Tomorrow there will be a Mass for workers at Legazpi and a visit to a leper colony at Tala. On Sunday there is the last Mass at Baguio airport and the flight to the island of Guam where the Pope will stay for a day.
In Japan, Monday to Wednesday will be occupied by meetings with Christians, non-Christians, the Prime Minister and the Emperor in Tokyo.
At Hiroshima on Wednesday the Pope will speak at the Peace Memorial Park. Nagasaki still has the most flourishing Catholic community, and here the Pope will say Mass and Baptise 77 people.
The last day of his trip will last more than 24 hours and include a flight East across the International Date Line to Anchorage, Alaska where 100,000 are expected at a Mass in temperatures well below freezing. He should return to Rome by Friday morning.