THE passing of Pope Francis has prompted an outpouring of tributes from across Africa, a continent he visited five times during his papacy and where his messages of peace, humility, and inclusion struck a deep chord. Known for his unfiltered opposition to corruption, economic exploitation and indifference to migrants, Francis’s relationship with Africa was complex—but transformative.
Over the course of his pontificate, the late pontiff visited 10 African countries, promoted inter-religious dialogue, challenged economic injustice, and stood in solidarity with the continent’s poor. Following his death on Monday, African leaders praised his ‘legacy of compassion’, though debate remains over some of his reforms.
‘Champion of the voiceless’
Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, chair of the African Union Commission, hailed Francis as a ‘courageous voice’ who gave visibility to the marginalised and stood by communities affected by conflict and poverty.
‘He championed peace and reconciliation and stood in solidarity with those affected by conflict and poverty,’ Youssouf said.
With nearly 20 percent of the world’s Catholics residing in Africa—especially in the DRC, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya—the late pope’s influence was far-reaching. Kenyan President William Ruto said Francis ‘exemplified servant leadership through his humility, his unwavering commitment to inclusivity and justice, and his deep compassion for the poor and the vulnerable’.
From Kangemi slum to the global stage
One of Francis’s most memorable moments came during his 2015 visit to Nairobi, where he celebrated mass in Kangemi, a densely populated informal settlement.
There, he denounced ‘new forms of colonialism’, calling out elites who hoard wealth while ignoring systemic urban poverty.
Lucy Nganga, a local Catholic, recalled: ‘He presented himself as the pope of the poor and explained that that was why he had chosen this church.’
Another parishioner, Theresa Siuwai, said: ‘We only see important people here when they’re looking for votes. So for the pope to come to Kangemi, to see how we live and be part of our community, even for just an hour, it was an honour. We felt human.’
Crossing religious boundaries in Bangui
During the same African tour, Francis took a daring step by visiting Bangui, the conflict-scarred capital of the Central African Republic, where he called for national healing amid sectarian violence.
He travelled to the PK5 Muslim quarter—an area Christians had not entered in years—and was joined by Muslim and Christian leaders.
Fridolin, a young server at Bangui Cathedral, described the moment:
‘At the height of the crisis, Christians could not set foot in PK5, and no Muslim could leave. But the pope braved this situation. That day, he drew thousands of Christians behind his procession to PK5. I saw, with my own eyes, the two communities embracing, crying, hugging each other.’
His visit also led to the revival of the city’s paediatric hospital, helping reduce child mortality in the years that followed.
An architect of interfaith dialogue
From the outset of his papacy in 2013, Pope Francis placed inter-religious dialogue at the heart of his mission. In 2019, he signed a landmark document with Grand Imam Ahmad Al-Tayeb of Egypt’s Al-Azhar Mosque, urging collaboration and mutual understanding.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called his passing ‘a profound loss for the entire world’, praising him as ‘a voice of peace, love and compassion’ who ‘worked tirelessly to promote tolerance and was a champion of the Palestinian cause’.
Migrants and the ‘globalisation of indifference’
Francis also made the plight of migrants a moral priority. His first trip outside Rome was to Lampedusa, Italy, in 2013, where he decried what he called the ‘globalisation of indifference’ toward displaced people.
In his 2020 encyclical Fratelli Tutti, he warned: ‘No one will ever openly deny that they are human beings, yet in practice… we can show that we consider them less worthy, less important, less human.’
In August 2024, he described Western migration policy as ‘a grave sin’, calling attention to migrants abandoned in deserts or lost at sea. In earlier comments, he labelled the Mediterranean as ‘Europe’s largest cemetery’.
Rift over LGBTQ+ blessings
Despite his wide appeal, Pope Francis’s progressive gestures stirred backlash within African Catholic leadership—particularly following the December 2023 Fiducia Supplicans declaration, which allowed blessings for same-sex couples, provided they did not resemble marriage.
The declaration sparked sharp rejection from African bishops. Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, president of SECAM, met with Vatican officials to express regional concerns.
An agreement was reached allowing African dioceses to decline the practice.
‘It was an uproar, especially in Africa,’ said a Chadian Catholic. ‘The Vatican tried as best it could to provide arguments, but it never convinced anyone.’
‘Hands off Africa!’
In January 2023, Pope Francis delivered a powerful speech in Kinshasa, denouncing foreign exploitation of Africa’s vast resources:
‘Hands off the Democratic Republic of the Congo! Hands off Africa! Stop choking Africa. It is not a mine to be stripped or a terrain to be plundered.’
The message was met with roaring applause. President Félix Tshisekedi later honoured the pope as a ‘great servant of God… committed to peace, justice, and human dignity’.
The Zairean rite and African liturgical identity
Throughout his papacy, Francis supported the ‘inculturation’ of Catholic liturgy. He consistently promoted the Zairean Rite, an adaptation of the Roman Catholic Mass rooted in African traditions.
In 2022, he celebrated Mass in the Zairean Rite at St. Peter’s Basilica, delivering part of his homily in Lingala.
‘Moto azalí na matói ma koyóka,’ he proclaimed.
The congregation responded: ‘Ayóka.’
‘Moto azalí na motéma mwa kondíma… Andima.’
The translation: ‘Let whoever has ears to hear, hear… Let whoever has a heart to consent, consent.’
