How Pope Francis redefined the Church’s ties with Africa

How Pope Francis redefined the Church’s ties with Africa

Africa, with its huge Catholic population, featured prominently on Pope Francis’s agenda.

Francis' death turns the page of an atypical pontificate, between bursting blows, internal tensions and disappointed hopes.

The death of Pope Francois on Monday, April 21, sparks a sharp emotion on the African continent, especially in the Central African Republic, where the sovereign pontiff had left an indelible mark.

One of the strongest images that Pope Francis has bequeathed concerns precisely Africa, although perhaps few remember it: it was in 2019, when the Holy Father received in the Vatican the President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, and his main opponent, Riek Machar, both responsible for the bloody South Sudanese civil war. Suddenly, to the general surprise of those present, Francis bent down to the floor, regardless of his 82 years and the diplomatic …

How Pope Francis Redefined The Church’s Ties With Africa

Thousands of miles from the Vatican, the death of Pope Francis is being mourned by millions of Catholics on the African continent. Francis, who was renowned for his liberal embrace of all groups of people and his vocal support for poor and marginalised communities, was a key figure on a continent sometimes referred to as

Haitian Cardinal Chibly Langlois paid a tribute to Pope Francis by recalling his “closeness” with the Church of Haiti and its people, while the country’s Episcopal Conference dismissed a pastor who was able to reach the “heart” of all with his “simpleness”. EFE “Throughout his pontificate, he was able to embody a concrete spirituality based on mercy, listening and solidarity,” Langlois said in a document released this Tuesday. The Cardinal, one …