Mandela To Join Pope In S. African Service

South African President Nelson Mandela plans to join Pope John Paul II at an open-air service during the pontiff’s visit to Africa in September.

The gathering in Johannesburg, South Africa, is expected to be the highlight of the pope’s Sept. 14-20 trip, which also includes stops in Cameroon and Kenya.

The pope and Mandela also plan a private meeting during the pontiff’s first formal visit to South Africa, according to a Vatican schedule released Thursday.

The papal plane was forced to make an emergency landing in South Africa in 1988.