Pope John Paul II arrived in Denmark Tuesday on the fourth leg of his five-country, 10-day Nordic pastoral visit, the first by a Roman Catholic pontiff to the predominantly Lutheran region.
The pope's chartered DC-9 jetliner aircraft touched down in steady rain at 10:25 a.m. at Copenhagen's military airport at Vaerlose, 15 miles west of Copenhagen.After kissing the ground, as is his custom when visiting a new country, the pope was welcomed to Denmark by Conservative Prime Minister Poul Schluter.
Following a brief welcoming ceremony, the pontiff left for Fredensborg Palace, the 18th century summer residence of the Danish monarch, for a private meeting with Queen Margrethe II.