China has denied permission to Pope John Paul II to fly in Chinese airspace on a pilgrimage to the Far East in October, an Alitalia airline spokesman said Friday.
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The Italian carrier is to fly the pope Oct. 6 to Seoul, the first stop on the 10-day trip.China severed diplomatic relations with the Vatican in 1957 and allows worship only under the guise of the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Church, which consecrates its own bishops. The church claims more than 3 million members and an unknown number of other Catholics remain secretly loyal to the pope.