Thousands of miles from the Vatican, Pope Francis’ death is mourning to millions of Catholics on the continent.
Famous for his liberal embrace of all people and his support for his voice for poor and marginalized communities, Francis was a key figure on the continent, sometimes called the “future of the Catholic Church” due to the vast population of African Catholics.
Pope Francis cemented the recently established Vatican practices through the leadership of the Pope, visiting ten African countries and strengthening the involvement made by his predecessors. Before the 1960s, the Pope rarely left the Vatican.
African leaders also lament his death. Kenya President William Ruto called the late Pope “exemplifying the leadership of his servants through humility, an unwavering commitment to inclusion and justice, a deep compassion for the poor and vulnerable.”
Here’s how the late Pope Francis prioritized Africa during his tenure:
Pope Francis’ many trips to Africa
Pope Francis traveled five times to Africa through his Pope, during which he visited ten countries.
He chose to visit countries that were in conflict and were facing wars and low-level conflict. He also focused on people struggling with economic and climatic challenges. The Pope did not shy away from holding the masses in the ghetto or kissing the feet of fighting leaders in the hopes of bringing peace.
These visits were modelled on the visit of Pope John Paul II (1980-2005), who visited over 25 African countries in his 25 years of service and changed the way the Vatican interacted with the continent. Pope Benedict XVI (2005-2013) visited three African countries in two visits.
These are the countries visited by Pope Francis.
2015: East Africa (Uganda, Kenya, Central African Republic – Car)
The six-day visit to three African countries in November 2015 was filled with colorful welcome and huge mass events.
In the capital of Kenya, Nairobi, the Pope is respected and respected for holding Mass in his low-income neighborhood, Kangemi. He then condemned what was called the “modern form of colonialism,” pointing out that the poor in the country’s cities were excluded and that the services were inadequate. He also criticized the wealthy minorities, he said, stocking up resources for all. With a colorful welcome to Uganda, the Pope enjoyed traditional dances from various ethnic groups. He congratulated dozens of children and thrusts them into his popemovie, the open side car. He also visited treatment centres for children with disabilities and spoke with more than 700 people with disabilities.
Healing a broken country
Later, in the car, the Pope acted unprecedented. He challenged Muslim neighbours amidst religious tensions in the country that had been ongoing for months.
The PK5 district of Bangui, the capital, was previously off limits to Christians, but when the Pope went to a mosque there, a crowd of Christians chased after him.
Pope Francis urged both sides to put their arms, calling Africa the “continent of hope” in his speech. True peace will take another five years, but the visit will ultimately lead to a peace agreement between the factions fighting.
2017-2019 North Africa (Egypt, Morocco)
In April 2017, Pope Francis visited Cairo for two days to support Coptotic minorities, the largest Christian community in the Middle East. Coptotic Christians have been the subject of alienation and fatal attacks in Egypt for many years. Francis also reached out to the country’s Muslim clergy. On a trip to Morocco in March 2019, at the invitation of King Mohammed VI, the Pope sought religious tolerance and inclusion. He urged Morocco to respect the rights of refugees and immigrants.
2019 Indian Ocean (Mozambique, Madagascar, Mauritius)
In September of the same year, Pope Francis turned his attention to South Africa, particularly countries in the Indian Ocean.
Mozambique and Madagascar called for an end to better protection of poverty and the environment in areas where climate change has led to severe storms and devastating cyclones.
2023: Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and South Sudan
Amidst the continued conflict and the humanitarian crisis brought about by the armed factions seeking control of the country, the Pope’s visit to the DRC symbolically sought peace and reconciliation in a troubled Central African country.
With the most Catholics in Africa (estimated 35 million), the DRC was important to the Pope and had to postpone travel for health. The Congo showed up to thousands to welcome him.
Show of humility in South Sudan
In South Sudan, the Pope called for continued peace between rival President Salva Kier and his vice president, Leek Machar. Africa’s youngest country has been rock-heavy since its independence from Sudan in 2011. Shortly after, until 2013, the civil war broke out among factions loyal to the two leaders, leading to the deaths of hundreds of thousands and the expulsion of millions of South Sudanese.
Five years before he set foot in South Sudan, the Pope had expressed an extraordinary level of humility. During his spiritual retreat to the Vatican, it became extremely difficult to kiss the two leaders’ feet. He called on them to stick to a peace agreement signed for the people.
Since January, the country has once again been in conflict. In a letter in late March, when the Pope had already encountered more serious health issues, he wrote again to the two leaders, seeking peace and dialogue.
Did the Pope have a good relationship with the bishops of Africa?
Yes, Pope Francis enjoyed his heartfelt relationship with various African bishops and their associations. However, he also encountered criticism of his stance towards the same-sex union.
In December 2023, the Pope approved the blessings of same-sex couples. This is an unprecedented movement in the church. He stipulated that such blessings could be carried out unless they formed part of the normal rituals of the Church, and not performed at the same time as other civil unions.
The African Bishops’ Association was pushed back violently by this. Several countries on the continent are strongly opposed to same-sex or other nonconforming gender categories due to their religious and cultural beliefs.
One such association was a symposium at the Bishops’ Conference of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM). This rejected the rules in a statement, describing a coalition of people of the same or non-sex as “unacceptable.” The group said under the guidance of DRC’s Cardinal Fridrin Ambongo, “these conduct must not be approved under any circumstances.”
Asian bishops have made similar calls for the Vatican to make a U-turn on the new ruling.
In response to criticism, Pope Francis told Italian newspaper La Stanca that his emphasis lies in the blessings of those involved. He said: “We are all sinners. Why do we create a list of sinners who can enter the church?”
In the case of criticism from Africa, Pope Francis admitted his concern. “For them, homosexuality is “bad” from a cultural perspective. They don’t tolerate that,” he said.
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