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Peter was grieved when He said to him for the third time, "Do you love me? Feed by sheep". The task of "feeding" the sheep and strengthening the brothers and sisters was performed by the successor of Peter, Pope John Paul with admirable dedication, as attested to by people from all walks of life. John Paul broke the traditional mode of simply teaching from the See of Peter. He travelled to the four corners of the world so that it could be rightly said of him: "he knew his own, and his own knew him" (Jn. 10:4). He laid down his life for his sheep. He was a pastor to the end. Towards the end of his life, he laboured under great physical pain and mental anxiety. The word of Job easily come to mind:

"Behold, happy is the man whom God reproves
therefore despise not the chastening of the Almighty
For He wounds but He binds up
He smites, but His hand heals" (Jb.5 17-18).

Like Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, some were beginning to wonder at the public display of pain and suffering of the Holy Father. It was described as an indignity to one who has served so well and so faithfully. And yet, for Pope John Paul, it was a cross to be borne with love, joy and patience until the end.

To the sick, the physically, mentally, spiritually, morally frail, the chronically and terminally ill – John Paul says, bear your pain with hope and contentment. For God is made manifest especially in pain and suffering. Do not hide your sick and disfigured as if they were a curse. They too have a dignity and beauty of their own.

John Paul suffered publicly, not for his own sake but for our sake. He bore a public witness. He has served his master well in every respect. Now the hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified and honoured by His Father.

For him "His Holiness" was not just a title, it was a lifestyle, a calling and a life commitment. He tirelessly taught priests, religious and lay Catholics that this was the way for the disciples of Christ. This brings me to the significance of Pope John Paul for Africa.

Christian Maturity
In elevating some African Catholics who publicly practiced heroic virtues in their lives to sainthood, Pope John Paul II sought to show that African Christians had reached maturity in the faith. Latecomers to the Christian faith can now rightfully claim that they too are truly and genuinely the disciples of the Risen Christ. African Catholics too are called to a life of personal holiness and to a lifestyle consistent with the demands of the Gospel. It is a life of witnessing the fruits of the Spirit to others. The conviction of living a lifestyle inspired by the Gospel is extremely relevant for an Africa that has turned its back on its own traditional moral values. A life of personal holiness can, and will serve as a yeast; a catalyst to a continent that seeks to embrace a culture of moral regeneration and the strengthening of the moral fibre of society in order to combat the rampant plague of corruption and self-enrichment.

Local Culture and the Good News of Redemption
John Paul II was clearly aware that the split between the Gospel and culture was an inhibiting stumbling block to genuine evangelisation. In his many visits to Africa, he stressed that Christ's Church is by her nature missionary, and that the Church in Africa is a missionary Church, hence the need for Africans to find appropriate means of evangelising Africa. For John Paul, it was imperative to preach the Gospel to the Africans in images, idioms, symbols and concepts that would sound familiar to Africans. The Gospel must enter the African culture in order to assimilate and develop its positive values. Only through this radical insertion of the Gospel into a local culture, will the local culture in turn shed some of its negative aspects. With this approach, the Pope became the champion of the dignity of local cultures as a worthy instrument of communicating the liberating power of the Gospel. The recognition of a local culture is poignantly relevant on a continent where local cultures have been looked down upon. Cultural identity and recognition go together. Culture defines a "people's understanding of who they are". The Church in Africa, as a result of the leadership of John Paul has come to appreciate critically the role of local cultures as an indispensable tool in the proclamation of the Good News of Redemption.

Am I my Brother's Keeper?
The continent of Africa has been lacerated by wars, genocide, violent crimes, tribalism, ethnic conflicts, the selling of women and children and wilful self-destruction. The spectre of these evils revisiting Africa is ever-present. To the rhetorical question: "Am I my brother's keeper?" John Paul answers in the affirmative. He proclaimed the Gospel of Life that calls Africans to a fullness of life. He tirelessly promoted the "culture of life". He argued repeatedly that the "culture of death" goes beyond personal situations. "It is a problem at the cultural, social and political levels where these crimes against life tend to be interpreted as legitimate expressions of personal freedom" (Gospel of Life 18). This he considered to be a "surprising contradiction" of the culture of "human rights."

Traditional Moral Values
This is particularly pronounced in the spread of euthanasia and the destruction of the unborn. A "contraceptive mentality" is being promoted. The family as the "sanctuary of life" is pitted against same-sex-unions, a tragic reversal of African traditional moral values. Africa is not immune from the severe attacks on the culture of life. The Papacy of John Paul II has been characterised by a strong moral leadership. He called upon African Church leaders to carry the torch of a strong moral leadership if Africa is to restore the dignity of its citizens, created in the "image and likeness of God".

Human Dignity in Work
For a continent where the majority of its people are immersed in poverty, John Paul II's teaching on work is eminently relevant. Work is a distinguishing character of human beings. Africans, like everybody else, have to earn their bread "by the sweat of their brow" and not be excessively dependent on food parcels. For the continent to gain any measure of dignity among the nations, its people will have to work harder than hitherto. Life for the African can only be made more human through human work. This is "a conviction of the intellect and also a conviction of the faith" (Laborem Exercens,4). Besides, contrary to the current trend in Africa, capital must serve the needs of labour, of people who work and not just the nouveau riche.

Interreligious Dialogue
John Paul worked tirelessly for interreligious dialogue. He argued convincingly that tension so endemic between Islam and Christianity can only be dissipated through dialogue. Genuine dialogue, mutual acceptance and tolerance between the different faiths are essential ingredients in the rebirth of a continent that is determined to shed its pariah status and take its rightful place as an equal among other nations.

Moral Leadership
Finally, Pope John Paul II, a towering moral leader, uncompromising in the moral teachings of Jesus Christ, as interpreted, clarified, elaborated upon and taught by the Magisterium of the Church, leaves a rich legacy behind. An unwavering, strong moral leadership among Church leaders and laity could help strengthen the moral fibre of African communities in the face of rampant indifference and moral relativism. The African Catholic Church owes it to itself to uphold, embrace and internalize the sterling and ennobling legacy of John Paul II, the supreme pastor recognised as such by the Church and by the world. John Paul, a true reflection of the image of Jesus Christ the High Priest, may he rest in peace.