PHOTO: EAST NEWS/AFP PHOTO
Pope John Paul II salutes some 50.000 faithful 23 March in Kubwa, near the Nigerian capital of Abuja, as a nigerian soldier looks on. The pontiff launched another forceful defence of human rights, on the final day of a three-day pastoral visit. He also lectured Roman Catholics in Africa's most populous nation, facing severe challenges on both the democratic and the AIDS fronts, on the importance of family values and the "inviolability" of life.