Borne on a 20-ft. fishing boat covered by a canopy in the papal colors of yellow and white, John Paul II, successor of Peter the Fisherman, traveled to the waterside sanctuary of Our Lady of Lake Togo. To many of the smiling tribesmen who came to greet the white-robed visitor, the omens for the day were auspicious. That morning a 5-ft. python had slithered over a wall in the church compound. A majority of the people in the region are animists who venerate pythons. The incident, early in the Pope's seven-nation tour of Africa, indicated the huge spiritual challenges and opportunities...
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