Millions of African Catholics and leaders across the continent are mourning the passing of a religious figure widely regarded as a strong voice for Africa within the global Catholic Church.
With Africa now home to nearly one-fifth of the world’s Catholic population—an estimated 272 million people—the continent’s growing significance in the Church has become increasingly evident. Analysts note that under Pope Francis, Africa’s presence and concerns gained greater recognition within the Vatican.
Tributes from African heads of state echoed the sentiments of many, describing the late Pope as a steadfast advocate for the marginalised and a champion of social justice.
The Vatican says that over the past year, seven million Africans have converted to Catholicism, making the continent one of the Church’s fastest-growing regions.
“This Pope has made a lot of efforts to make our faith inclusive… I remember him with joy,” Ghanaian Catholic Aba Amissah Quainoo told the Newman in the capital, Accra.
“He was loved by all because of his stance on the poor and the marginalised,” Rev George Obeng Appah added.
At the Holy Family Basilica in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, Rosemary Muthui said worshippers there will remember the Pope as a man who brought change to the Church, especially in promoting equality.
“His love for the African Church was great, and we will miss him,” she added.
She said she met him when he went to Kenya a decade ago on the first of his five visits to the continent, which took in 10 African countries in all.
His last trip in 2023 was to South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, Kitsita Ndongo Rachel did not hesitate when she broke protocol to personally meet the Pope.
“My heart was beating; I was less than 100 metres away. I slipped between the security agents, knelt and asked the Pope for his blessing,” the journalist remembers.
“He blessed me, and he blessed my rosary.”
Kitsita Ndongo Rachel Pope Francis, wearing white vestments, is seated in a wheelchair, looking at Kitsita Ndongo Rachel, who is wearing a pink top and kneeling. There are people standing around them wearing grey suits, and one is carrying a black camera bag and is holding a black Nikon camera. Kitsita Ndongo Rachel
Journalist Kitsita Ndongo Rachel was desperate to meet Pope Francis on his trip to DR Congo in 2023
She says her actions were influenced by the Pope’s teachings, which spoke to her about what can be done in her conflict-ridden country.
“When we listen to him, we feel that he wanted or he wants justice for the Democratic Republic of Congo, he knows that millions of people have died.”
Live coverage of the reaction to the Pope’s death
Nigeria and Kenya have among the highest weekly church attendance rates globally, while DR Congo, Cameroon, Uganda and Angola also have strong Catholic communities.
“One of the biggest things Pope Francis did for Africa was to bring global attention to the continent’s importance in the Catholic Church,” said Charles Collins, managing editor of Crux, a leading Catholic news website covering Vatican affairs and Catholicism.
“He has not only spoken about Africa’s struggles but has physically gone to marginalised areas, showing solidarity with victims of war, displacement and injustice,” said Father Stan Chu Ilo, president of the Pan-African Catholic Theological Network.
During his 2015 trip to the Central African Republic, the Pope pressed home a message of peace amid conflict there.
Pope Francis appealed for peace after performing the rare gesture in 2019
In 2019, in a highly symbolic moment at the Vatican, the Pope knelt and kissed the feet of South Sudan’s rival leaders. His trip to the country four years later was a special peace mission that included the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.
Pope in South Sudan tells clergy to raise voices against injustice
And in a letter sent in the last week of March, Pope Francis urged President Salva Kiir and First Vice-President Riek Machar “to prioritise peace, reconciliation and development for the benefit of their people – South Sudanese”.
But the need to make that plea speaks to the limits of the Pope’s power, as there are now fears the country could be on the brink of another civil war.
AFP Kenyans wait to see the convoy transporting Pope Francis during his visit to Africa in Nairobi on November 25, 2015.
Africa is becoming increasingly important in the Catholic world
Despite the remarkable growth of the Church on the continent and the creation of new African cardinals, Africa remains under-represented in high-ranking Vatican positions.
“The Catholic Church’s future is African, but it hasn’t yet translated into real influence at the Vatican. That shift is still to come,” Mr Collins said.
Now, attention starts to turn to who will succeed him and whether an African could take the helm for the first time in 1,500 years.
“An African Pope is not a question of ‘if’ but ‘when’ – because the Catholic Church in Africa is now a theological, spiritual, and demographic powerhouse,” Father Ilo said.
BBC
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