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POPE JOHN PAUL II MAY VISIT SADDAM HUSSEIN May 20, 1999

 USA Today reported that In a controversial voyage likely to bring him into
conflict with Washington policymakers, Pope John Paul II is expected to
visit Iraq before the end of the year. The 79-year-old pontiff met Friday
with a high-ranking religious, political and commercial Iraqi delegation.
The meeting is the strongest indication yet that he will go through with
long-standing plans to visit Baghdad, the Iraqi capital, where he would meet
President Saddam Hussein as a fellow head of state. No formal Vatican
announcement is expected until after the pope's annual summer retreat, which
usually lasts from early July through late August. John Paul has said he
wants to undertake a major Middle East tour to retrace key Old Testament
events as part of the church's year 2000 celebrations.