A PILGRIM OF HOPE – ST. JOHN PAUL II
IN JOHANNESBURG
On 17 September 1995, the Cathedral of Christ the King welcomed Pope St. John Paul II on his historic journey of faith and reconciliation.
THE VISIT OF POPE
ST. JOHN PAUL II
On 16 September 1995, Pope Saint John Paul II set foot in Johannesburg, marking the first time a pope had visited South Africa. His arrival carried enormous symbolic weight. Just a year earlier, South Africans had voted in their first democratic elections, and the nation was still taking its first steps out of the long night of apartheid. As he stepped off the papal plane, four orphans—each representing a different South African community—presented him with a basket of soil, a living sign of the diversity of the “Rainbow Nation.” President Nelson Mandela greeted him with the words: “To say this visit is long overdue is to pay tribute to your own abhorrence of the system of apartheid.”
The next day, on 17 September 1995, the Cathedral of Christ the King welcomed the Holy Father for a solemn Mass that remains one of the most significant moments in its history. Speaking from the sanctuary, Pope John Paul II placed Africa and South Africa at the centre of the Church’s hopes:
“Africa, a continent of hope, has been blessed by God with immense human and spiritual wealth. The Church in Africa must be a sign of unity and reconciliation for all peoples.”
Conscious of the wounds of the past, he urged South Africans to embrace reconciliation and unity. In words that echoed throughout the Cathedral, he proclaimed: “Today my journey brings me to a new South Africa, a ‘rainbow nation,’ indicating the diversity of races, ethnic groups, languages and culture which characterise it.”
The Mass drew together clergy, religious, civic leaders, and ordinary faithful, filling the Cathedral to overflowing. Among the many notable figures present were Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Mother Teresa, both reminders of the universal call to justice and service that the Pope came to affirm.
The Pope’s presence brought global attention to Johannesburg, but more importantly, it left a spiritual legacy. His visit was part of his wider Apostolic Journey to Africa, during which he launched the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Africae Munus, charting the Church’s mission of evangelisation, justice, and peace across the continent. For the faithful of Johannesburg, the day remains etched in memory as a moment when the universal Church and the local Church stood visibly together in hope.
Nearly thirty years later, the Archdiocese continues to commemorate that day not merely as history but as a living call. The Pope’s words still challenge the Church in South Africa to be a beacon of reconciliation, a witness to the Gospel, and a home for all God’s people.
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A WINDOW INTO THE PAST
This archival footage from the Associated Press captures Pope Saint John Paul II celebrating Mass at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Johannesburg on 17 September 1995. The visit came during his historic Apostolic Journey to Africa, just one year after South Africa’s first democratic elections.
In the video, the Holy Father processes into the Cathedral, welcomed by clergy, religious, and the faithful of Johannesburg. His presence in South Africa was a powerful gesture of hope and unity, affirming the dignity of the newly born “Rainbow Nation.”
“Today my journey brings me to a new South Africa, a ‘rainbow nation,’ indicating the diversity of races, ethnic groups, languages and culture which characterise it.” — Pope St. John Paul II
This rare footage is a vivid reminder of the day the Cathedral became the spiritual heart of South Africa, with the Pope’s message of reconciliation and faith echoing through its walls.
