Riot breaks out as pope greets Haider - Pope John Paul II - Jorg Haider - Brief Article

National Catholic Reporter, Jan 5, 2001 by John L. Jr. Allen

In fact, this was not Haider's first encounter with John Paul. The two men met in a private audience in 1993, a meeting engineered by conservative Austrian Bishop Kurt Krenn of Sankt Polten, an ally and friend of Haider.

The Vatican tried to play down the significance of Haider's reception. His private audience with John Paul lasted just five minutes, with the pope limiting himself, according to some media reports, to saying "good morning." Haider was later given a copy of the pope's recent message for World Peace Day criticizing xenophobia and racism.

Yet during the afternoon ceremony in St. Peter's Square, the Carinthian delegation was welcomed by Cardinal Edmund Szoka, an American prelate who serves as head administrator for the Vatican city-state. Szoka, former archbishop of Detroit, said the group was "worthily represented" by Haider. Pictures of Haider with the pope appeared in newspapers and television reports the next day.

Haider himself did little to reduce tension, calling Italy's immigration policies "soft" and its political leaders "weak" during his visit. He belittled shopkeepers who turned off their lights in protest, suggesting that perhaps they wanted to save on electric bills.

The aftermath of the rioting was in itself somewhat surreal. Cleaning crews worked late into Saturday night to have the Via della Conciliazione ready for Sunday's "Jubilee of the Spectacle," a Vatican-sponsored celebration of the performing arts. Jugglers, brass bands and mimes performed in the street in which just hours before police had fought pitched battles with protesters.

The e-mail address for John L. Allen Jr. is jallen@natcath.org