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