Millions of African Catholics and mainland leaders are mourning a man who speaks for Africa.
Nearly one-fifth of the church’s followers (or 272 million) are becoming increasingly important in the Catholic world, and observers say Pope Francis has done a lot to improve the image of the continent within the institution.
The head of state reflects the emotions of many people, describing how the late pope was marginalized.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu calls him “the relentless champion of the poor” and his South African peer Cyril Ramaphosa emphasizes his “inclusive worldview [and] equality”.
The Vatican said that over the past year, 7 million Africans have transformed into Catholicism, making the mainland one of the fastest growing regions for the church.
Ghanaian Catholic ABA AMISSAH QUAINOO told the BBC in the capital Accra.
George Obeng Appah added: “He is truly loved by everyone because of his position on the poor and marginalized.”
Rosemary Muthui In the Holy Family Cathedral in the Kenyan capital, worshipers will remember that the Pope was a man who brought about changes in the church, especially in promoting equality.
“His love for the African church is great and we will miss him,” she told the BBC.
She said that the first of his five visits to Kenya a decade ago, she met him, which he occupied five visits from 10 African countries.
His last time in 2023 was to South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In Kinshasa, the Congolese capital, Kitsita Ndongo Rachel did not hesitate to meet with the pope in person in violation of the agreement.
The reporter recalled: “My heart was beating, I was less than 100 meters. I slid between the security agents; I knelt down and asked the Pope for his blessing.”
“He blesses me, he blesses my rosary.”
Reporter Kitsata Ndongo Rachel is eager to meet Pope Francis on a trip to Dr. Congo in 2023. [Kitsita Ndongo Rachel]
She said her actions were influenced by the Pope’s teachings, which spoke to her about what she could do in a country where she was in conflict.
“When we listen to him, we feel that he wants, or he wants justice for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he knows that millions of people have died.”
Nigeria and Kenya have the highest weekly attendance rates, while the Congo Doctor, Cameroon, Uganda and Angola also have strong Catholic communities.
“One of the biggest things Pope Francis did for Africa is to focus globally on the importance of the Catholic church,” said Charles Collins, executive editor of Crux, a major Catholic news website involving Vatican affairs and Catholicism.
“He not only talked about the struggle in Africa, but actually went to marginalized areas and showed solidarity with the victims of war, displacement and injustice,” said Stan Chu Ilo, father of the Pan-African Catholic Theology Network.
During a trip to the Central African Republic in 2015, the pope imposed a message of peace in the conflict there.
In 2019, at a highly symbolic moment in the Vatican, the pope kneeled down and kissed the foot of South Sudan’s rival leader. Four years later, his trip to the country was a special peace mission, including the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby at the time.
Pope Francis urged President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar to “prioritize peace, reconciliation and development to win the interests of their people-South Sudanese”.
But the need to make the plea expresses the limitations of the Pope’s power, as there are now concerns that the country might be on the verge of another civil war.
Africa is becoming increasingly important in the Catholic world [AFP]
Despite the significant growth of the church in the African continent and in the creation of the New African Cardinal, Africa is still under-numbered in senior Vatican positions.
“The future of the Catholic Church is African, but it has not yet been translated into the Vatican’s real influence. This shift will still happen,” Collins said.
Now, attention begins to turn to who will inherit him and whether the Africans can take the helm for the first time in 1,500 years.
Father Ilo said: “The Pope in Africa is not a question of ‘if’ but a question of when’ – because the Catholic Church in Africa is now a power of theology, spirituality and demographics.”
Other reports by Thomas Naadi, Peter Njoroge and Nichola Mandil
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