Pope Leo XIV will ‘partner’ African Church, say bishops

‘Africa is not just the future of the Church – it is its now,’ said Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala of Tombura-Yambio, in South Sudan.

Church leaders in Africa said they trusted Pope Leo XIV would recognise the continent as “an indispensable partner in the mission of the universal Church”.

“As a continent blessed with a rapidly growing Catholic population and a youthful, vibrant Church, Africa looks with great expectation to the pontificate of Pope Leo XIV,” said a statement from the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM).

“The Church in Africa reaffirms its full communion and collaboration with Pope Leo XIV,” said the statement, signed by SECAM’s president Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besugu, the Archbishop of Kinshasa who was himself considered papabile at the conclave.

“We stand ready to work with him in addressing the pressing challenges facing our communities, including: conflicts, poverty alleviation, education, healthcare, interreligious dialogue, and environmental stewardship. We believe his leadership will unlock Africa’s full potential, empowering our youth to become agents of positive change, inspired by the Gospel.”

The Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC) also welcomed the election, saying Pope Leo’s message immediately after the conclave – beginning with the greeting “peace be with you” – resonated with its members as a call to be peacemakers and to build bridges.

“This message resonates deeply with the SACBC which recognises the Pope’s call to be peacemakers and bridge builders in a world yearning for reconciliation and unity,” the bishops said in a message signed by Archbishop Zolile Peter Mpambani SCI of Bloemfontein, the conference’s first vice president.

“The SACBC pledges unwavering support and assures Pope Leo XVI of continuous prayers. The bishops express hope that Pope Leo XVI’s leadership will bring about greater unity within the Church, and offer guidance to millions around the globe during these pivotal times,” the bishops said.

Pope Francis visited Africa five times, travelling to 10 of its countries during his 12-year pontificate: Kenya, Uganda, the Central African Republic, Morocco, Mozambique, Madagascar, Mauritius, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.

The late Pope used those visits to highlight the need for peace and dialogue, but also consistently called on western powers and their industries to desist from their exploitation of the continent and its resources. African prelates said they hoped Pope Leo would follow the same policy.

“Africa is not just the future of the Church – it is its now,” said Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala of Tombura-Yambio, a diocese in South Sudan. In 2023, Africa’s Catholic population increased by 3.31 per cent, to 281 million people. Current projections suggest it will be home to a third of the world’s Catholic population by 2050.

“Pope Leo XIV’s deep missionary roots in Latin America give him insight into the aspirations and struggles of African communities. I pray and believe that his papacy will prioritise listening to African voices, not just speaking to them,” Bishop Kussala told The Tablet.

“Africa is raising missionaries for the whole world, and Africa cannot be taken for granted, so I think this new Pope, if he wants to take evangelisation seriously, will pay attention to Africa,” Fr Patrick Alumuku, director of Catholic Television Nigeria, told The Tablet.

“Any serious-minded Pope today will not take lightly the importance of the continent of Africa in the Catholic Church, because this is where the Church is growing, this is where the enthusiasm of the faith is alive, this is where the Church is shaping new ideas even for the future.”

Francis also consistently appealed for economic equality for Africa, condemning what he called “economic colonialism”. The Cameroonian priest and commentator Fr Humphrey Tatah Mbuy said Pope Leo, who has already expressed his commitment to the Church’s social teaching, would maintain this message and insist that Africans themselves must take steps to invest in their own people and weed out corruption.

Bishop Michael Bibi of Buea, in Cameroon’s South West region, told The Tablet that Pope Leo’s choice of name “is most probably making a clear policy statement, with implications for Africa and the peoples of the peripheries, as Pope Francis called them, those shutout from the centres of power and control in today’s world”.

Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja emphasised Africa’s position as “the future of the Catholic Church” and noted that the new pope, having visited Africa on several
occasions, was aware of this reality.

“We just want him to be a father to us all who inspires peace and unity, and to raise his strong voice in support of Africa and Africans who suffer many forms of domination, discrimination, and exploitation especially at the economic and political levels. I believe he will be a father, a friend and a brother to Africans, and indeed to all made in the image and likeness of God,” Kaigama told The Tablet.

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Hands off Africa!

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