THE PONTIFF AND THE PITCHER

Cuba may be one of the main topics of discussion when Pope John Paul II meets with President Clinton on Wednesday in Newark. The Pope has opened up a dialogue at the highest levels with Castro's regime, the Miami Herald reports, and hopes to open up three-way talks in an effort to end the U.S. embargo on Cuba. From Havana, Cathy Booth reports that the long-dormant Catholic Church in Cuba may be ready to take on an even greater role. "The Catholic Church in Cuba is not the Catholic Church of Poland. During most of the revolution, the priests and hierarchy here kept quiet. Cubans were never the churchgoers that the Polish were, either. But churches are jammed with worshippers today. Washington began this summer to funnel humanitarian aid to Cuba through the church's Caritas organization. The Pope is clearly banking on using the church's new vigor in gaining a hand in negotiating a dialogue on Cuba."