Hello and welcome to the BBC witness history podcast with me Hugh Costello.

Today I'm bringing you the story of a Muslim family who helped welcome a Pope to Africa

for the very first time.

We are practicing Muslims but my dad was very involved with the Catholic Church and in fact

every religion.

In our household we didn't separate like saying oh they're not Muslims or whatever.

Mobina Jaffer came of age in Campala in the years following Uganda's independence

in 1962.

Like many Ugandans the Jaffers were of South Asian descent.

They were part of a diaspora dating back to the 19th century when the colonial power

written brought laborers from India to build railways in East Africa.

My dad was a member of parliament my mother was a social worker in a probation officer.

We were six children I was the eldest.

My father and mother they had a very open heart and we got such a wonderful education because

of their open heart and our lunchtime we never knew how many people would be at the table.

My mother would be distributing dried milk that she got from USAID for people when a person

walked in there didn't look at what position he had, how wealthy he was, he was welcome.

That spirit of hospitality in the Jaffer family led the Ugandan government to ask for

their help with a very unusual visitor.

In March 1969 the Archbishop made a request to the Pope to come to Uganda.

It was almost a joke nobody thought the Pope would agree because no Pope had ever come

for Paul agreed that was the most amazing thing there was real excitement in Uganda and

...