Pope will return to Fort Simpson this fall

Rumors of another Pope's visit to Fort Simpson can rest. Officials from the vatican staff have confirmed that Pope John Paul II will fly to Fort Simpson September 20.

The Pope will fly to the Northwest Territories from Detroit, his last stop on the U.S. fall tour. He will be spending the night of September 19 at a Grey Nuns residents in Edmonton before flying up to Fort Simpson. There are no public functions planned for Alberta's capital.

The Pope was to have gone to Fort Simpson as part of his Canadian Tour in 1984, but the stop was cancelled when thick fog prevented his plane from landing. He promised that he would return to the north one day.

A government official said "the Pope wants to fulfill this outstanding commitment as soon as possible."