The latest news about U2 from the Dutch newspapers.
Bono meets the Pope.
Bono visited the pope at his summer residence in
Castelgandolfo.
Bono and also the Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour became support
from the pope for their campaignJubilee 2000
With this campaign artists and activists want to remit the debt
of the poor countries in the year 2000.
After the meeting, Bono was very enthusiastic about his visit to
the 79 year old pope. "The Pope is Funky" he
said
"As old and weak as the pope is, he is meeting some pop
stars". As gift, Bono gave the Pope his sunglasses, which
the
Pope even wore for a short while.
Bono formed a new band.
Bono formed a new band to compose the soundtrack for his film
debut The Million Dollar Hotel.
It is said that Bono asked some well known people, like Brian
Eno, and Daniel Lanois.
In The Million Dollar Hotel Bono makes his long awaited
film debut. The Australian actor Mel Gibson
will also take part in this film, for which Bono wrote the
script.
Bono received an award.
Bono received the "Free your mind" Award at the MTV
Europe awards.
The award was given to him for all the things he does for a
better world, without war, and starvation.
U2 becomes the Freedom of Dublin.
Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr and Adam Clayton were greeted by thousands
of fans in St Stephen's Green in the Smithfield area of Dublin on Sunday
(March 19) when they arrived to collect the 'Freedom of Dublin' award.
One of the honours that the award endows is the freedom to pasture sheep on
St Stephen's Green and so the band turned up with lambs in their arms.
Accepting the award, Bono said: "We regard this as a very big deal for us
and are very humbled by it . My mother and father grew up about a mile from
Smithfield."
The award was also granted to the leader of the Burmese democracy movement,
Aung San Suu Kyi who remains under house arrest in Rangoon. Her award was
collected by her son Kim Aris who posed with Bono for photographs after the
ceremony.
U2 apologised for failing to organise a concert to mark the event, saying:
"We are having a hell of a time of it trying to put out an album this year -
that's why we could not play a gig in Smithfield." However, they eventually
bent to the will of the crowd and performed four of their classics.