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\n Pope Francis arrives in Uganda. \/ Martha Calderon \/ CNA.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
ACI Africa, Apr 25, 2025 \/ 16:56 pm (CNA).<\/p>\n
Pope Francis\u2019 more than 12-year pontificate \u2014 characterized by an emphasis on mercy and compassion, the need to care for creation, and attention to the marginalized and \u201cperipheries\u201d of the Church and society \u2014 deeply resonated with the people of God in Africa, seg\u00fan ACI \u00c1frica<\/a>, CNA\u2019s news partner in Africa,<\/a> with one exception related to the release of a controversial Vatican document.<\/p>\n En su 47 apostolic journeys outside Italy<\/a>, Pope Francis, who passed away on Easter Monday, April 21<\/a>, at the age of 88, visited 68 countries \u2014 10 of them in Africa. <\/p>\n He began with Kenya in November 2015 in what was a three-nation pastoral trip that saw him also visit Uganda and the Central African Republic and concluded with South Sudan in February 2023<\/a>, after visiting the Democratic Republic of Congo<\/a>. <\/p>\n The late pontiff also visited Egypt in April 2017 and Morrocco in March 2019. In September 2019, he embarked on a three-African-nation trip<\/a> to Mozambique, Madagascar, and Mauritius.<\/p>\n In these pastoral trips and throughout his pontificate, Pope Francis demonstrated a deep knowledge and great love for Africa, particularly expressed in his frustration over foreign exploitation of Africa\u2019s resources and the need for peace across the continent. He sought to validate Africans\u2019 dreams and to align with some of the traditional values of the continent.<\/p>\n Multiple times and on various occasions, Pope Francis made it clear that he had Africa\u2019s best interests at heart. <\/p>\n When, due to health reasons in July 2022, he had to postpone his pastoral trip<\/a> that had been scheduled<\/a> to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, he made clear<\/a> his love for the people of God in the two African countries, where protracted violent conflicts have occasioned much suffering. <\/p>\n \u201cDear Congolese and South Sudanese friends, at this time words are insufficient to convey to you my closeness and the affection that I feel for you. I want to tell you this: Do not let yourselves be robbed of hope! Think, you who are so dear to me, of how much more you are precious and beloved in the eyes of God, who never disappoints those who put their hope in him!\u201d the pope said on July 2, 2022, the day he was to start what would be his last African pastoral visit.<\/p>\n Much earlier, in what was described as a \u201cdramatic gesture<\/a>\u201d of love for the people of God in South Sudan, on April 11, 2019, Pope Francis knelt and kissed the feet<\/a> of South Sudan\u2019s President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Dr. Riek Machar, among others. This was after a spiritual retreat that brought together the South Sudanese president, the opposition leader, and the widow of South Sudanese leader John Garang, Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabior, among other political and religious leaders from South Sudan. <\/p>\n Pope Francis\u2019 dramatic gesture would inspire peace campaigns in the world\u2019s youngest nation. For instance, in April 2022<\/a>, a campaign dubbed \u201cRemember Pope Francis\u2019 Kiss for Peace\u201d was launched and continued<\/a> to challenge political leaders in South Sudan to foster \u201cpeace and stability.\u201d<\/p>\n Pope Francis\u2019 desire to connect with the people of God in Africa in his pastoral visits demonstrated his great love for Africa. He planned to and encountered some of the poorest of the poor during his visits. <\/p>\n In Kenya, Pope Francis visited the Nairobi slum community of Kangemi. In his speech there<\/a>, he thanked the slum dwellers \u201cfor welcoming me to your neighborhood,\u201d adding: \u201cI feel very much at home sharing these moments with brothers and sisters who, and I am not ashamed to say this, have a special place in my life and my decisions. I am here because I want you to know that your joys and hopes, your troubles and your sorrows, are not indifferent to me. I realize the difficulties which you experience daily! How can I not denounce the injustices which you suffer?\u201d<\/p>\n Similarly, in South Sudan, Pope Francis had an encounter<\/a> with some 2,500 people living in refugee camps after being forced to leave their homes because of violent conflicts or flooding. In a show of love, he told them: \u201cYou are the seed of a new South Sudan, a seed for the fertile and lush growth of this country.\u201d<\/p>\n He continued, encouraging hope among the refugees and the internally displaced: \u201cYou, from all your different ethnic groups, you who have suffered and are still suffering, you who do not want to respond to evil with more evil. You, who choose fraternity and forgiveness, are even now cultivating a better tomorrow \u2026 Be seeds of hope, which make it possible for us already to glimpse the tree that one day, hopefully in the near future, will bear fruit.\u201d <\/p>\n Pope Francis demonstrated an understanding of Africa by delivering messages that people on the continent resonated with. For instance, his May 2015 encyclical letter on care for our common home, Laudato Si\u2019<\/em><\/a>, inspired multiple initiatives<\/a> on the continent, which various entities spearheaded, including the Laudato Si\u2019 Movement-Africa<\/a>. His decision to establish the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly<\/a> in January 2021 was lauded in Africa<\/a>. <\/p>\n Many Africans, including theologians<\/a>, have lauded Pope Francis for the multiyear Synod on Synodality<\/a>. This initiative \u201cbecame a very exciting moment for the whole Church,\u201d Father Ambrose John Bwangatto recalled in a get-well-soon message to Pope Francis through ACI Africa. <\/p>\n Alluding to the Synod on Synodality initiative, the director of programs at the Pan-African Catholic Theology and Pastoral Network<\/a> (PACTPAN), Sister Jane Joan Kimathi, shared: \u201cPope Francis is a prophetic voice in a wounded world, a shepherd who embodies compassion, justice, and inclusivity. His leadership reflects the African spirit of \u2018Ubuntu\u2019 <\/em>(I am because we are), emphasizing community over exclusion, mercy over judgment, and solidarity with the marginalized.\u201d <\/p>\n Pope Francis, the Kenyan Sister further said, \u201cis a bridge-builder, much like the African elders who mediate conflicts, seeking not division but reconciliation. His call for a synodal Church, one that walks together, resonates deeply with African traditions of communal decision-making, where wisdom is not imposed from above but discerned in dialogue.\u201d This approach not only highlights the importance of inclusion but also reflects a broader commitment to interfaith understanding. In this spirit, pope francis and islamic dialogue<\/a> have become essential elements in fostering mutual respect and cooperation among diverse faith communities. By engaging in open conversations, he encourages a recognition of shared values that unite rather than divide.<\/p>\n Pope Francis\u2019 great love for Africa was also demonstrated by his caution against exploitation of the continent\u2019s people and resources. The pope demonstrated a great understanding of this problem and tried to show Africans they can unchain themselves from abuse. <\/p>\n In his speech in DRC on Jan. 31, 2023, Pope Francis spoke plainly to the international community: \u201cThis country and this continent deserve to be respected and listened to; they deserve to find space and receive attention,\u201d he said, and amid cheers added: \u201cHands off the Democratic Republic of the Congo! Hands off Africa! Stop choking Africa: Africa is not a mine to be stripped or a terrain to be plundered.\u201d <\/p>\n He continued: \u201cMay Africa be the protagonist of its own destiny! May the world acknowledge the catastrophic things that were done over the centuries to the detriment of the local peoples, and not forget this country and this continent.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier, speaking during a virtual dialogue<\/a> with Catholic youth from universities in Africa that the Pan-African Catholic Theology and Pastoral Network<\/a> (PACTPAN) organized<\/a> on the solemnity of All Saints\u2019 Day 2022, Pope Francis cautioned Africa\u2019s youths against enslavement<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cPlease continue working, striving for your future; don\u2019t allow yourselves to be enslaved; be cautious and make sure you stay alive,\u201d Pope Francis said on Nov. 1, 2022. He encouraged African youth to believe in themselves. <\/p>\n Pope Francis allowed the African Church a certain degree of autonomy, and it was in that context that misgivings about a controversial Vatican document, Fiducia Supplicans<\/em><\/a> (FS), were expressed. Africa\u2019s Catholic bishops\u2019 decision not to implement FS was a low moment in the pope\u2019s relationship with Africa.<\/p>\n Fiducia Supplicans<\/em><\/a> permits members of the clergy to bless same-sex couples<\/a> and couples in other \u201cirregular situations.\u201d For weeks, reactions poured in<\/a> from Catholic leaders in Africa about the document that the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith<\/a> (DDF) released in December 2023. <\/p>\n obispo Martin Mtumbuka<\/a> of Malawi\u2019s Karonga Diocese<\/a> called upon the people in his diocese to \u201cforget and ignore this controversial and apparently blasphemous declaration in its entirety.\u201d <\/p>\n In Kenya, Bishop Paul Kariuki Njiru<\/a> de Wote Diocese<\/a> said that FS \u201cshould be rejected in totality.\u201d In a letter he issued on Dec. 27, 2023, he faulted the DDF prefect, cardenal V\u00edctor Manuel Fern\u00e1ndez<\/a>, for not consulting \u201cwidely\u201d before releasing the document. Fern\u00c3\u00a1ndez, he said, \u201cshould have widely done enough consultation before releasing such a controversial declaration. His idea and thought that cardinals and bishops cannot prohibit what Pope Francis has permitted with Fiducia Supplicans<\/em> is mistaken.\u201d <\/p>\n The leadership of the Symposium of Episcopal Conference of Africa and Madagascar<\/a> (SECAM) was strategic in handling the reactions to FS. Just two days after its release, SECAM president Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo<\/a> reached out to colleagues across the continent through the presidents of the Catholic bishops\u2019 conferences to provide \u201cunequivocal clarity<\/a>\u201d on the issue and mend the deep division<\/a> FS had caused. <\/p>\n While gathering feedback from the dozens of bishops\u2019 conferences across Africa, Ambongo also engaged the Vatican. In an audio recording<\/a>, he recalled his decision<\/a> to travel to Rome that was preceded by a seven-page letter to Pope Francis. In the recording, he recounted the process that resulted in the statement in which he declared<\/a> that FS would not be implemented in Africa. <\/p>\n \u201cWith the prefect [Fern\u00c3\u00a1ndez], myself in front of the computer, a secretary writing, we prepared a document \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 in dialogue and agreement with Pope Francis, so that at every moment we called him to ask him questions, to see if he agreed with that formulation.\u201d<\/p>\n Ambongo said he signed the document as president of SECAM on behalf of the entire Church in Africa and that Fern\u00c3\u00a1ndez signed it. The document was not made public but kept in the archives. It is titled: \u201cNo to the Blessing of Homosexual Couples in the Catholic Churches.\u201d<\/p>\n Although the text appears to have been signed in Accra, Ghana, the headquarters of SECAM, in reality, \u201cI signed it in Rome,\u201d Ambongo said. \u201cThe episcopal conferences of all Africa, which have strongly reaffirmed their communion with Pope Francis, believe that the extra-liturgical blessings proposed in the declaration Fiducia Supplicans<\/em> cannot be carried out in Africa without exposing themselves to scandals.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is to express our position today in Africa and we do it in a spirit of communion, of synodality with Pope Francis, and with the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith: In Africa there is no place to bless homosexual couples. Not at all,\u201d he stressed.<\/p>\n The SECAM statement cited a previous DDF Declaration<\/a> on homosexuality, the El Catecismo de la Iglesia Cat\u00f3lica<\/a>, the sacred Scriptures, and the language used in FS as additional reasons for rejecting the DDF declaration on the continent. <\/p>\n On Jan. 13, 2024, Pope Francis was quoted as explaining<\/a> that FS was not to be implemented in Africa \u201cbecause the culture does not accept it.\u201d Much more seems to have been omitted in Pope Francis\u2019 explanation in his closed-door meeting with 800 priests from the Diocese of Rome in the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran<\/a> as Italian media outlets, including the Italian news channel, Sky TG24<\/a>, reported. The \u201cconsolidated summary\u201d of the responses of the Conferences of Catholic Bishops in Africa, which Ambongo had issued on Jan. 11, 2024, went beyond cultures in Africa.<\/p>\n The SECAM statement aimed to put an end to the misgivings in the relationship between Pope Francis and the African Church. Rather than impart blessings upon same-sex couples and couples in other \u201cirregular situations\u201d as FS proposed, the African bishops underscored the need \u201cfor the conversion of all.\u201d <\/p>\n On his part, Pope Francis allowed the Church in Africa to contextualize the document he endorsed. <\/p>\n Este art\u00edculo fue <\/em>originally published by ACI Africa,<\/em><\/a> CNA\u2019s African news partner, and has been adapted for CNA.<\/em> <\/p>\n![\"Pope](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Pope_Francis_arrives_to_meet_with_youth_at_Kasarani_stadium_in_Kenya_on_Nov_27_2015_Credit_Martha_Ca.webp?quality=75&ssl=1\")
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A great love for Africa<\/h2>\n
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Sharp words of caution on exploiting Africa<\/h2>\n
Encouraging African youth<\/h2>\n
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Reaction to Fiducia Supplicans<\/em> <\/h2>\n
![\"Pope](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/dsc2797.jpg?quality=80&ssl=1\")
Were the misgivings resolved? <\/h2>\n