Question 2.33

2.33 Two years later Pope John Paul II traveled to Guinea. Was this a historic visit for your country?

Originally John Paul II was supposed to visit Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea. The war in Sierra Leone changed his itinerary. The Holy See therefore chose to organize an apostolic visit, this time selecting Senegal, Gambia, and Guinea. At that time the archbishop still did not have his own residence; therefore, the organizers of the papal visit did not know how to put up the Holy Father, especially since he was determined to visit Guinea. He knew that the country had gone through tremendous difficulties under the revolutionary Communist regime.

In fact, the residence had been confiscated by Sékou Touré after the arrest of Archbishop Tchidimbo. It had become the home of the governor of Conakry, then the residence of the prime minister, Colonel Diarra Traoré. It was from this house that Diarra Traoré had organized his failed coup.

The house was then ransacked, destroyed, and set ablaze by soldiers who were loyal to President Conté.

Given this situation, the pope’s collaborators could see only one solution: John Paul II would come from Dakar, in Senegal, would spend the day in Conakry, and would return to Dakar for the night.

Frustrated and disappointed, I requested an audience with President Conté to explain to him that Guinea would be seen in a poor light if it could not offer the pope a house because of a lack of goodwill on the part of the State, which was never willing to return property to the Church. The head of State then decided to return the house, after a complete renovation. Then we learned that the pope himself wanted to stay for three days in Guinea in order to console us for all the sufferings we had experienced under the dictatorship of Sékou Touré.

John Paul II arrived on February 24, 1992. I feared that the crowds would be sparse, since Guinea is a mostly Muslim country. Contrary to my fears, the Catholics and many Muslims came to express their joy in welcoming the successor of Peter. Muslim believers told me very seriously: “During the revolution, we were forced to welcome leaders of the USSR; there is no reason why we would not got out into the streets to see a great believer and a man of God!”

From the airport to the center of Conakry, there was not one empty street. During the first Mass at the cathedral, the joy of the faithful was immense. In the afternoon, at the college of Saint Mary of Dixinn, there was a meeting with the catechists and the parish councils that had kept the Christian communities alive for a long time when they were deprived of any priestly presence. The day culminated with the dedication of the hospital that today bears the name of the Supreme Pontiff. The next day, during a second Mass at the large “September 28” stadium, John Paul II ordained three priests. After lunch, he met some young Guineans at the People’s Palace. Several hours later, I wanted him to be able to speak also with the representatives of the Muslims. Finally, in the evening, we had planned some time for prayer at the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in the gardens of the archbishop’s residence. The recollection of the faithful was very impressive.

After crowning the Blessed Virgin, the pope knelt down and recollected himself for some time. The depth and length of his prayer, which seemed endless, greatly impressed the crowds gathered there. Then, after he got up, he slowly approached me and put the beautiful stole that he was wearing on my shoulders. I was quite shocked, because I did not understand the reason for his gesture, which was unplanned. While going back to the residence, he took me in his arms and said firmly: “This is a very beautiful ending.” The following day, on the last day of his visit, he celebrated a private Mass in the chapel of the Stella Maris residence.

Several days later, I knew he had been really very impressed by the simplicity of the welcome by the people. To thank us, he asked Francis Cardinal Arinze, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, to go to the countries he had visited to thank the Christian and Muslim people as well as the governments.

The mobilization of the laity was exceptional. Without them, I would have never been able to prepare so effectively for the pope’s journey.