The Pope Stands His Ground

One month after meeting spear-carrying warriors in the South Seas, Pope John Paul II visited alien territory again: Switzerland, where his conservatism has drawn fire from both Protestants and liberal Catholics. But throughout his six-day tour last week, the Pope stood his ground.

Before the World Council of Churches in Geneva, he stressed his "irreversible" commitment to Christian unity, then reaffirmed that papal authority is inviolate.

When questioned in Fribourg about academic freedom and relations with Israel, he genially moved on to other matters.

The energetic Pontiff visited the ancient monastery at Einsiedeln, spoke in four languages and exhorted Swiss bankers to bring lofty principles to the world of high finance. Editorialized the Swiss opinion weekly L'Hebdo: "The Protestants may be a little jealous of Rome's marketing prowess."