September 12, 1987 – CBS World News Roundup – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
September 12, 1987 – To the tune of When The Saints Go Marching In, Pope John Paul II made a stop and an appearance in New Orleans during his tour of the U.S. After a busy day in Florida and South Carolina, where he was visited by a crowd of some 60,000 who crammed into the University of South Carolin Football Stadium who burst into applause as the Pontiff appeared at the end of a long line of Christian clerics of all persuasions, the Pontiff boarded his chartered plane, Shepherd One for a visit to New Orleans.
The emphasis on this visit to NOLA was on religious education and on the Church’s concern for Black Catholics. First holding an unprecedented meeting with 1800 Black Church leaders and later to address a convocation on Catholic Education at predominately Black Xavier University. Bishop Joseph Howells of Biloxi Mississippi addressed the Pontiff, noting the problems of racism, lack of Black Identity in the Church; a disproportionate number of Black Bishops and the absence of a Black Cardinal. Howells was aware that change wasn’t going to come overnight, but that least seeds were being sown on this day.
Among other news; the seemingly never-ending war between Iran and Iraq was now going on seven years. UN Secretary Perez de Cuellar was in Tehran with plans to go on to Bagdad, hoping to find a way to end the war. Knowing that part of the world was full of surprises, but nothing would be so surprising as all-out success for the UN Secretary General. Hopes were high – expectations were low.
And Reggae legend Peter Tosh was killed this day. Police in Jamaica were investigating what was being called a double murder. Peter Tosh and another person were shot dead during an attack at Tosh’s home in which the singers wife and four others were also wounded. The shooting apparently occurred during an armed robbery. Tosh was 42.
And that’s a small slice of what went on in the world this September 12, 1987 as reported on The CBS World News Roundup.
