Kremlin approves Russian bishop

VATICAN-Soviet relations took a significant step forward this week when Moscow approved the appointment by Pope John Paul II of the first Catholic bishop in Belorussia since the communist takeover.
According to the Vatican, the Soviet authorities said they had "no difficulties" with the appointment of Tadeusz Kondrusieivicz.
Belorussia, in the eastern area of the USSR, had had no Catholic hierarchy since the end of the second World War.
In another sign of the Vatican's desire for good relations with Russia, John Paul II this week paid a surprise visit to a special Russian art exhibition in Turin. The Vatican confirmed that the Pope's onehour tour of the gallery had "precise significance" in the light of an impending visit by the Soviet leader to Rome scheduled for the autumn. More importantly, the Pope is striving to pave the way for a visit to the Soviet Union, observers believe.
After discussing the paintings with leading Italian art critic, Giovanni Caradente, John Paul remarked, "The USSR has tried for a long time to cancel the millenium that preceeded the Revolution. Today, they have understood they were wrong and this exhibition proves it."