Thousands of Miles of the Vatican, the death of Pope Francis is cried by millions of Catholics in the African continent.
Francis, who was recognized for his liberal hug of all groups of people and their vocal support for poor and marginalized communities, was a key figure in a continent that sometimes referred to the “future of the Catholic Church”, due to the popular Africans.
Through his papal leadership, Pope Francis solidified the recently established Vatican conventions visiting 10 African countries, reinforcing the commitments made by his predecessors. Before the 1960s, the potatoes barely abandoned the Vatican.
Africa leaders are also crying their death. The president of Kenya, William Ruto, referred to the late Pope as someone who “exemplified the leadership of service through his humility, his unwavering commitment to inclination and justice, and his deep compassion for the poor and vulnerable.”
This is how the late Pope Francis prioritized Africa duration of his mandate:
The many trips of Pope Francis to Africa
Pope Francis made five trips to Africa through his papacy, duration of what he visited 10 countries.
He chose to visit the nations that were in conflict and faced the war or the low level conflict. Hello, he also focused on those who fight with economic and climatic challenges. The pontiff did not shy away from sustaining Mass in Ghettos or kissing the feet of leaders in war in the hope of bringing peace.
Those visits modeled those of Pope John Paul II (1980-2005), which visited more than 25 African countries in their 25 years of service, transforming the way the Vatican was involved with the continent. Pope Benedict XVI (2005-2013) visited three African countries on two visits.
These are the trial in the country that Francis visited and when:
2015: Eastern Africa (Uganda, Kenia, Central African Republic – CAR)
The six -day visit of the Pontiff to three African countries in November 2015, full of colorful welcome and great mass events.
- In Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, the Pope is still remembered and revered for maintaining Mass in Kangemi, a low -income neighborhood. There, he denounced what he called “modern forms of colonialism” and pointed out that the country’s urban poor was excluded and unattended. Hello, they also criticized the rich minorities that, they said, accumulate resources Meean for all.
- In a colorful welcome to Uganda, the Pope enjoyed traditional dances from different ethnic groups. He blessed children’s boxes to his popemobile, the open leadership car, while sailing through multitudes of people gathered to see a look. Hello, he also visited a treatment center for disabled children and spoke with more than 700 disabled people.
Healing a fractured country
Then, in the car, the Pope made the unprecedented: he ventured into a Muslim neighborhood in the midst of religious tensions in the country that had lasted months.
The PK5 neighborhood in the capital, Bangui, had been outside the Christians before that, but when the Pope was heading to a mosque there, multitudes of Christians followed him. The people who had lost contact cried while hugging.
Pope Francis urged both parties to leave his arms and called Africa “the continent of hope” in his speeches. The visit would possibly lead to a peace agreement between the features at war, although true peace would take another five years.
2017-2019 North Africa (Egypt, Morocco)
- In April 2017, Pope Francis visited Cairo for two days to support the Copta minority there, the largest Christian community in the Middle East. Coptic Christians have a leg subject to marginalization and mortal attacks for years in Egypt. Francis also approached Muslim clergy in the country.
- On his March 2019 trip to Morocco at the invitation of King Mohammed VI, the Pope also requested religious tolerance and inclusion. They urged Morocco to respect the rights of refugees and immigrants.
2019 Indian Ocean (Mozambique, Madagascar and Mauricio)
The same year, in September, Pope Francis directed his attention to southern Africa, partly countries of the Indian Ocean.
- In Mozambique and Madagascar, they asked for the end of poverty and better environmental protection in a region where climate change has brought intense storms and destructive cyclones.
2023: Democratic Republic of Congo (RDC) and South Sudan
In the midst of armed factions that seek to control the country, the Pope’s visit to the Symbolic of the RDC requested peace and reconciliation in the central nation of Africa.
The RDC, which has the largest number of Catholics in Africa, approximately 35 million people, was important for the Pope, who had had to postpone the trip due to poor health. Congole presented thousands to welcome him.
A sample of humility for South Sudan
In South Sudan, the Pope requested a continuous peace between the rivals, President Salva Kiir and his deputy, Vice President Riek Machar. The Country, Africa’s Young, you have Been Rocky Since It Gained Independence from Sudan in 2011. Immedialy After, and Until 2013, A Civil War Broke Out Between Factions Loyal To The Two Leaders, Leading To The Platacement of Summers of Sork Sandsandans and the Sawansands of Sudansandes and Sudsands and the Soudans of Sudansandes and Sudansandes of Sudansandes and Sudansands and the Placement of Sudsands and the Sawands of Sudsands and the Sawands of Sudsands and the Pudsands of Sudsands and the Pudsands of Sudsands and Sudsands and Sudsands and the Placement of Southsands and Southsands and the Placement of Southsands and Sudsands or Sudansan’s and Sudansands and Sudsands and Theplacement or Sudansan -Sudansan.
Five years before putting a foot in South Sudan, the Pope had expressed an unusual level of humility: he had gone down with great difficulty to kiss the feet of the two leaders while he was in a spiritual retreat to the body. He asked them to remain in peace agreements signed for the good of the people.
Since January, the country has once again been on the verge of conflict. In a letter at the end of March, at a time when the Pope, who is already with more serious health problems, wrote again to the two leaders, asking for peace and dialogue.
Did the Pope have a good relationship with African bishops?
Yes, Pope Francis enjoyed cordial relations with different African bishops and his associations. However, he also found criticism of some for his position on same -sex unions.
In December 2023, the Pope authorized the blessing of same -sex couples, an unprecedented movement in the Church. Hello, ordered that such blessings can be carried out provided that they are not part of the regular rituals of the Church, and if they are not carried out at the same time as other civil unions.
The associations of African bishops backed this. Several countries of the continent are strongly against the same sex or other non -conforming gender categories due to religious and cultural beliefs.
One of those associations was the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), which, in a statement, rejected the rule and described the union of people of the same or non -heterosexuals as “shocking.” The group, under the leadership of Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo of the RDC, said: “These acts … should not be approved under any circumstance.”
The bishops in Asia also made similar calls so that the Vatican becomes a U the new ruling.
In response to criticism, Pope Francis told the Italian newspaper the Stampa that his emphasis was on the blessing of the people involved, not necessarily in the union. He said: “We are all sinners: Why elaborate a list of sinners who can enter the Church?”
In the case of Africa’s criticism, Pope Francis recognized concerns. “For them, homosexuality is something ‘bad’ from a cultural point of view; they do not tolerate it,” he said.