Pope John Paul II visits Africa

Pope John Paul II began his first tour of Africa, including visits to Zaire (presently known as the Democratic Republic of Congo), Congo, Kenya, Ghana, Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso ) and the Ivory Coast. He started his tour in Zaire, where Roman Catholicism had recently been suppressed. During his visit he again established himself as a strong defender of human rights, workers rights and religious freedom. He called for the creation of a new world economic order and a guarantee of workers rights. The Pope believed in speaking on behalf of those who did not have a voice, in this case the Africans. Source: http://africanhistory.about.com/library/thisday/bl-ThisDay0502.htm