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In Photos: Pope Francis Visits Africa

After spending time in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Pope Francis traveled to the newest country in the world, South Sudan.

Pope Francis at the St. Therese Cathedral in Juba, South Sudan, on Saturday. Credit... Jim Huylebroek for The New York Times

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By The New York Times

• Published Jan. 31, 2023 Updated Feb. 4, 2023

Pope Francis spent his last full day in South Sudan meeting with displaced people who had been uprooted from their homes and cultures by war, ethnic strife and natural disaster.

“I am with here you, and I suffer for you and with you,” Francis said at Freedom Hall in Juba, the capital, to hundreds of people who, like millions of South Sudanese, lived what he called the “common and collective experience” of those in sprawling camps for displaced people.

The pope arrived in the country on Friday for an unprecedented joint “pilgrimage of peace” with his Anglican and Scottish Presbyterian counterparts, the last leg of his six-day visit to Africa.

Francis, alongside the symbolic head of the Anglican Communion, the Most Rev. Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, and the leader of the Church of Scotland, the Rev. Dr. Iain Greenshields, were the first Western leaders to make a public visit to South Sudan. The country, the newest in the world, is predominantly Christian. It has been engulfed by civil war, famine and now floods.

The leaders’ visit is an effort to bring global attention to the suffering of the South Sudanese people, whose country has been mired in chaos since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011. Years of civil war followed the break, killing at least 400,000 people and displacing millions, despite a peace agreement signed by the president, Salva Kiir, and the opposition leader, Riek Machar.

“No more bloodshed, no more conflicts, no more violence and mutual recriminations about who is responsible for it, no more leaving your people athirst for peace,” Francis said Friday at the Presidential Palace in the capital, Juba, where he met with the president and other officials. “No more destruction: It is time to build! Leave the time of war behind and let a time of peace dawn!”

Francis’ words on Friday were not the first time he has tried to foster a peace agreement in South Sudan, which was has been plagued by its leaders’ violent disagreements. During a spiritual retreat at the Vatican in 2019, the pope kissed the shoes of the leaders of South Sudan’s government and its opposition, and implored them to maintain peace. His gesture failed to heal divisions.

Earlier this week, Francis used similar words in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where his African visit began. Before the enormous and jubilant crowds that had awaited the first pontiff to land in the country since 1985, Francis called for peace from the “forgotten genocide” perpetrated by the warring groups that ravage especially through the country’s east, killing and displacing millions of residents.

He also urged everyone, including the victims of such gruesome violence, to forgive, saying that it would allow the nation to heal.

Children in Juba waiting to welcome Pope Francis.

People along the road in Juba hoping to catch a glimpse of Pope Francis as he drove to the cathedral.

Pope Francis with the leader of the Church of Scotland, Iain Greenshields, left, and the archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, right, at an ecumenical prayer service at the Dr. John Garang Mausoleum in Juba.

An emotional moment during the ecumenical prayer service in Juba on Saturday.

Celebrating during the ecumenical prayer service at the mausoleum for Dr. John Garang, a South Sudanese politician and leader who helped lead the fight for independence.

Pope Francis after arriving on Friday in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

Crowds gathered outside the airport in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, to welcome Pope Francis.

A photograph released by the Vatican showed Francis inspecting the guard of honor after his arrival at the Juba International Airport.

Crowds gathered to welcome the pope, who is in South Sudan after traveling from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Security was tight.

But crowds expressed their excitement for the pope, who was accompanied by other Christian leaders.

From center left, Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury; the pope; President Salva Kiir of South Sudan, and Iain Greenshields, the head of the Church of Scotland, at the Presidential Palace in Juba.

The pope will stay in South Sudan until Sunday.

Crowds cheered as Pope Francis was driven through Martyrs Stadium in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, on Thursday.

The congregation at the Notre Dame Du Congo Cathedral in Kinshasa.

Pope Francis attended a prayer meeting with priests, deacons, consecrated people and seminarians at the cathedral.

An attendee waving the flag of the Democratic Republic of Congo at a gathering of young Catholics and teachers at Martyrs Stadium in Kinshasa.

Tens of thousands of young Catholics came to the stadium to hear the pope speak.

Pope Francis watching a performance at the event.

The pontiff arriving at Martyrs Stadium.

The event on Thursday was held for the pope to meet with Congo’s young Catholics.

A view from the stadium as the crowds began to gather.

Large crowds outside the stadium in the morning.

Pope Francis blessing victims of conflict from the eastern part of Congo, at the diplomatic mission in Kinshasa, the capital.

Presidential guards resting under a canopy after the Mass at N’Dolo Airport.

Worshipers at the airport.

A photo released by the Vatican showed the pope celebrating Mass in front of a large crowd.

Worshipers receiving communion from a member of the clergy.

Choir girls preparing for the Mass at the airport.

Standing on top of an old airplane to get a better view of the service.

A choir practicing before the Mass.

A photograph released by the Vatican showing a meeting with representatives of charities at the diplomatic mission of the Holy See in Kinshasa.

Trying to get a glimpse of the pope as he left N’djili International Airport in Kinshasa.

Francis delivering an address at the presidential palace.

Pope Francis and President Felix Tshisekedi of Congo at a welcome ceremony.

Honor guards preparing for a welcome ceremony at the presidential palace.

As much as Congo embodies the wounds that Francis hopes to heal, it is also a country with potentially great influence on the church’s future.

The pope greeting the crowds in Kinshasa.

Large crowds lining the streets of Kinshasa on Tuesday to welcome Francis as he began his trip through the capital.

Scouts playing drums before the pope arrived at the airport in Kinshasa.

A photo released by the Vatican showed the crowds in Kinshasa.

Francis arriving on Tuesday in Kinshasa.

Catholic priests waiting at the airport in Kinshasa to greet the pope.

Pope Francis on board a plane from Italy to Congo, the starting point of his trip to Africa.

An earlier version of the capsule summary with this article referred incorrectly to the pope’s previous trip to the region. It was his first trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo in four decades, not his first trip to Africa in that time span.

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Pope Francis is in Democratic Republic of Congo, its first papal visit since 1985

Emmanuel Akinwotu

Bystanders look on as Pope Francis travels by popemobile as he departs the airport in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Guerchom Ndebo/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Bystanders look on as Pope Francis travels by popemobile as he departs the airport in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

LAGOS, Nigeria — Pope Francis has arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo on a hugely anticipated trip, followed by a visit to South Sudan.

Both countries have large Catholic populations and have suffered from long, violent conflicts, which the pope's visit is expected to spotlight.

Pope Francis says homosexuality is not a crime in a new interview

Several thousands in the DRC have been making their way to the capital Kinshasa to catch a glimpse of Pope Francis.

It's the first papal visit since 1985, to the country where almost half of the 95 million people are Catholics.

His trip to DRC and then South Sudan will highlight the long-running conflicts in both countries and the rising importance of Africa to the future of the Catholic Church . Africa is the fastest-growing location for the Church, with more than 200 million worshippers, but the continent remains under-represented in Vatican leadership.

In Kinshasa, the pope is scheduled to conduct masses and meet numerous groups, victims of violence, and attempt to lift the country's spirits.

This story originally appeared in NPR's Newscast.

• Democratic Republic of Congo
• Catholic church
• South Sudan
• Roman Catholic Church
• Pope Francis

Pope Francis’ visit to Africa comes at a defining moment for the Catholic church

Research Professor , World Christianity and African Studies, DePaul University

Disclosure statement

Stan Chu Ilo does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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During his planned visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South Sudan in February 2023, Pope Francis intends to be in dialogue with African Catholics – but also to listen to political leaders and young Africans.

This visit comes at a defining moment in what is regarded as a fairly progressive papacy.

Pope Francis has convened a worldwide consultation on the future of the Catholic church. This consultation, called a synodal process , began in 2021 and will conclude in 2024.

It is the most ambitious dialogue ever undertaken on bringing changes in Catholic beliefs and practices since the Second Vatican Council’s reforms in 1965 . It is exciting for reform-minded Catholics, but distressing for conservative Catholics.

The ongoing synodal process has exposed the fault lines in modern Catholicism on the issues of women, celibacy, sexuality, marriage, clericalism and hierarchism. How Pope Francis – who marks a decade of his papacy this year – manages these increasingly divisive issues will, in my judgement, largely define his legacy.

My research has focused on how African Catholics can bring about a consensus approach in managing these contested issues.

The big questions for me are how another papal visit to Africa at this point will address the challenges and opportunities that Africans are identifying through the synodal process – and how this plays into the state of Catholicism in Africa.

The influence of African Catholicism

The Catholic church is witnessing its fastest growth in Africa (recent statistics show 2.1% growth between 2019 and 2020). Out of a global population of 1.36 billion Catholics , 236 million are African (20% of the total).

African Catholics are not simply growing in number. They are reinventing and reinterpreting Christianity. They are infusing it with new language and spiritual vibrancy through unique ways of worshipping God.

Given its expansion, the Catholic church in Africa is well placed to be a central driver of social, political and spiritual life. In many settings, the church provides a community of hope where the fabric of society is weak because of war, humanitarian disasters and disease.

The DRC, for instance, has the highest number of Catholic health facilities in Africa at 2,185 . It is followed by Kenya with 1,092 and Nigeria with 524 facilities. Additionally, bishops have mobilised peaceful protests against violence in the DRC and Nigeria .

Another major feature of Catholicism on the continent is that it is witnessing a “youth bulge”. Central to Pope Francis’ advocacy for Africa is his appeal that churches, religious groups and governments show solidarity with young people. He calls them “the church of now”.

The pope expressed this most recently in November 2022 during a synodal consultation with African youth. He denounced the exploitation of Africa by external forces and its destruction by wars, ideologies of violence and policies that rob young people of their future.

Why DRC and South Sudan?

Pope Francis comes to Africa as part of the synodal consultation. He takes the message of a humble and merciful church to some of the most challenging parts of Africa: the DRC and South Sudan .

These two countries illustrate the impact of neo-liberal capitalism and the effects of slavery, colonialism and imperialism. Together, they have unleashed the most destructive economic, social and political upheaval in modern African history.

Read more: Conflict in the DRC: 5 articles that explain what's gone wrong

Pope Francis is coming to listen especially to the poor, to young people and to women who have been violated in conflicts. He also hopes to address the hidden wounds of clerical sexual abuse in the church.

Pope Francis will see how war, dictatorship and ecological disasters have denied ordinary people access to land, labour and lodging. These are the “three Ls” he proposes as vital in giving agency to the poor.

Some opposition

Pope Francis will no doubt receive a warm welcome during his visit. Most African Catholics embrace his message of a poor and merciful church because it speaks to their challenges.

But there are many African Catholics, particularly high-ranking church leaders, who are yet to embrace this reform agenda. The previous two popes encouraged a centralising tendency, which promoted unquestioning loyalty to Rome by African bishops. As a result, these bishops resisted attempts by African theologians to modernise and Africanise Catholic beliefs and practices to meet local needs and circumstances.

This has led to some African bishops being uncomfortable with Pope Francis’ progressive agenda on liberation theology, openness to gay Catholics, condemnation of clerical privilege and power, and inclusion of women in mainstream leadership.

Rather than being a strong church that looks like Africa, some of the Catholic dioceses on the continent have embraced medieval traditions – like Roman rituals and Latin – that alienate ordinary African Catholics, especially young people.

Africa’s future role

Pope Francis has often spoken of giving Africa a voice in the church and in the world.

Many African Catholics wonder how this will happen when, for the first time in more than 30 years, there is just one African holding an important executive function at the Vatican. This is Archbishop Protase Rugambwa of Tanzania, the secretary of the Dicastery for the Evangelization of Peoples , a department at the Vatican’s central offices.

Many African Catholics hope that Pope Francis will announce some African appointments to the Vatican during his February 2023 visit.

They also are hoping he will create a pontifical commission for Africa, similar to the Latin American commission created in 1958. This will be a significant way of giving African Catholics a voice in the church of Rome.

Pope Francis hasn’t fully recovered from the health challenges that led to the cancellation of the trip last July. But he is making this trip because he believes that Africa matters.

Through the sessions that the pope will conduct with Africans, especially young people, it’s hoped that the Catholic church in Africa can help address the causes of war and suffering in the DRC and South Sudan, and the obstacles to reforming the church in Africa.

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Pope Francis’ trip to Africa rescheduled for February 2023

By Hannah Brockhaus

Rome Newsroom, Dec 1, 2022 / 04:41 am

Pope Francis has rescheduled his trip to the African countries of the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan for Jan. 31–Feb. 5, 2023, the Vatican announced on Thursday.

The visit was originally to take place in the beginning of July but was postponed by the Vatican due to problems with Pope Francis’ knee. The 85-year-old pope apologized in June for having to put off the trip, and vowed to reschedule it “as soon as possible.”

Francis will spend the first leg of the trip, Jan. 31–Feb. 3, in the Congolese city of Kinshasa before visiting the South Sudanese capital, Juba, Feb. 3–5.

An updated schedule released by the Vatican Dec. 1 showed that the pope no longer plans to visit the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo, part of the original trip schedule.

The logo and motto for the trip were announced in March.

Francis’ visit to South Sudan will be a “pilgrimage of peace” and take place together with the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and the moderator of the Church of Scotland, Iain Greenshields.

Pope Francis will be the first pope to visit South Sudan, which became the world’s newest country when it declared independence from the Republic of the Sudan on July 9, 2011. The nation in east-central Africa has a population of 11 million people, around 37% of whom are Catholic.

In 2019, Pope Francis brought South Sudanese leaders together at the Vatican for a “ spiritual retreat ” aimed at resolving their differences.

He also celebrated Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for Congolese immigrants in 2019, marking the 25th anniversary of the foundation of the Congolese Catholic Chaplaincy of Rome.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is a Central African country of approximately 90 million people, roughly half of whom are Catholic. Pope John Paul II visited the country, then known as Zaire, in 1980.

After reluctantly bowing out of his own scheduled trip to Africa in July, Pope Francis sent the Vatican’s second-highest-ranking official in his place, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

The pope also celebrated a Mass for Rome’s Congolese community in St. Peter’s Basilica on July 3, the day he was due to offer Mass in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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Pope Francis' visit to Africa comes at a defining moment for the Catholic church

• Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again later. More content below

During his planned visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South Sudan in February 2023, Pope Francis intends to be in dialogue with African Catholics – but also to listen to political leaders and young Africans.

This visit comes at a defining moment in what is regarded as a fairly progressive papacy.

Pope Francis has convened a worldwide consultation on the future of the Catholic church. This consultation, called a synodal process , began in 2021 and will conclude in 2024.

It is the most ambitious dialogue ever undertaken on bringing changes in Catholic beliefs and practices since the Second Vatican Council’s reforms in 1965 . It is exciting for reform-minded Catholics, but distressing for conservative Catholics.

The ongoing synodal process has exposed the fault lines in modern Catholicism on the issues of women, celibacy, sexuality, marriage, clericalism and hierarchism. How Pope Francis – who marks a decade of his papacy this year – manages these increasingly divisive issues will, in my judgement, largely define his legacy.

My research has focused on how African Catholics can bring about a consensus approach in managing these contested issues.

The big questions for me are how another papal visit to Africa at this point will address the challenges and opportunities that Africans are identifying through the synodal process – and how this plays into the state of Catholicism in Africa.

The influence of African Catholicism

The Catholic church is witnessing its fastest growth in Africa (recent statistics show 2.1% growth between 2019 and 2020). Out of a global population of 1.36 billion Catholics , 236 million are African (20% of the total).

African Catholics are not simply growing in number. They are reinventing and reinterpreting Christianity. They are infusing it with new language and spiritual vibrancy through unique ways of worshipping God.

Given its expansion, the Catholic church in Africa is well placed to be a central driver of social, political and spiritual life. In many settings, the church provides a community of hope where the fabric of society is weak because of war, humanitarian disasters and disease.

The DRC, for instance, has the highest number of Catholic health facilities in Africa at 2,185 . It is followed by Kenya with 1,092 and Nigeria with 524 facilities. Additionally, bishops have mobilised peaceful protests against violence in the DRC and Nigeria .

Another major feature of Catholicism on the continent is that it is witnessing a “youth bulge”. Central to Pope Francis’ advocacy for Africa is his appeal that churches, religious groups and governments show solidarity with young people. He calls them “the church of now”.

The pope expressed this most recently in November 2022 during a synodal consultation with African youth. He denounced the exploitation of Africa by external forces and its destruction by wars, ideologies of violence and policies that rob young people of their future.

Why DRC and South Sudan?

Pope Francis comes to Africa as part of the synodal consultation. He takes the message of a humble and merciful church to some of the most challenging parts of Africa: the DRC and South Sudan .

These two countries illustrate the impact of neo-liberal capitalism and the effects of slavery, colonialism and imperialism. Together, they have unleashed the most destructive economic, social and political upheaval in modern African history.

Read more: Conflict in the DRC: 5 articles that explain what's gone wrong

Pope Francis is coming to listen especially to the poor, to young people and to women who have been violated in conflicts. He also hopes to address the hidden wounds of clerical sexual abuse in the church.

Pope Francis will see how war, dictatorship and ecological disasters have denied ordinary people access to land, labour and lodging. These are the “three Ls” he proposes as vital in giving agency to the poor.

Some opposition

Pope Francis will no doubt receive a warm welcome during his visit. Most African Catholics embrace his message of a poor and merciful church because it speaks to their challenges.

But there are many African Catholics, particularly high-ranking church leaders, who are yet to embrace this reform agenda. The previous two popes encouraged a centralising tendency, which promoted unquestioning loyalty to Rome by African bishops. As a result, these bishops resisted attempts by African theologians to modernise and Africanise Catholic beliefs and practices to meet local needs and circumstances.

This has led to some African bishops being uncomfortable with Pope Francis’ progressive agenda on liberation theology, openness to gay Catholics, condemnation of clerical privilege and power, and inclusion of women in mainstream leadership.

Rather than being a strong church that looks like Africa, some of the Catholic dioceses on the continent have embraced medieval traditions – like Roman rituals and Latin – that alienate ordinary African Catholics, especially young people.

Africa’s future role

Pope Francis has often spoken of giving Africa a voice in the church and in the world.

Many African Catholics wonder how this will happen when, for the first time in more than 30 years, there is just one African holding an important executive function at the Vatican. This is Archbishop Protase Rugambwa of Tanzania, the secretary of the Dicastery for the Evangelization of Peoples , a department at the Vatican’s central offices.

Many African Catholics hope that Pope Francis will announce some African appointments to the Vatican during his February 2023 visit.

They also are hoping he will create a pontifical commission for Africa, similar to the Latin American commission created in 1958. This will be a significant way of giving African Catholics a voice in the church of Rome.

Pope Francis hasn’t fully recovered from the health challenges that led to the cancellation of the trip last July. But he is making this trip because he believes that Africa matters.

Through the sessions that the pope will conduct with Africans, especially young people, it’s hoped that the Catholic church in Africa can help address the causes of war and suffering in the DRC and South Sudan, and the obstacles to reforming the church in Africa.

This article is republished from The Conversation , a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. Like this article? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter .

It was written by: Stan Chu Ilo , DePaul University .

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Pope Francis says he may need to retire – here’s what it could mean for the future of the papacy

Stan Chu Ilo does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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Pope Francis begins 6-day trip to Africa, aims to bring a message of peace to Congo, South Sudan

Africa is one of the only places in the world where catholicism is growing.

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Pope Francis began a six-day visit to Congo and South Sudan on Tuesday, aiming to bring a message of peace to two countries riven by poverty, conflict and what Francis has called a lingering "colonialist mentality" that still considers Africa ripe for exploitation.

Francis landed at Kinshasa's airport and was greeted by tens of thousands of Congolese who lined the main road into the city, some standing three or four deep, with children in school uniforms taking the front row.

"The Pope is 86 years old but he came anyway. It is a sacrifice and the Congolese people will not forget it," Sultan Ntambwe said as he waited for Francis' arrival.

Aid groups are hoping Francis’ trip will shine a spotlight on two of the world’s forgotten conflicts and rekindle international attention on some of Africa’s worst humanitarian crises, amid donor fatigue and new aid priorities in Ukraine.

But Francis’ trip will also bring him face-to-face with the future of the Catholic Church: Africa is one of the only places in the world where the Catholic flock is growing, in terms of practicing faithful as well as fresh vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

POPE FRANCIS SAYS HOMOSEXUALITY IS 'NOT A CRIME' BUT REMAINS A 'SIN' AMONG CATHOLIC DOCTRINE

That makes his trip, his fifth to the African continent in his 10-year pontificate, all the more important as Francis seeks to make his mark on reshaping the church as a "field hospital for wounded souls" where all are welcome and poor people have a special pride of place.

"Yes, Africa is in turmoil and is also suffering from the invasion of exploiters," Francis told The Associated Press in an interview last week. But he said the church can also learn from the continent and its people.

"We need to listen to their culture: dialogue, learn, talk, promote," Francis said, suggesting that his message would differ from the scolding tone St. John Paul II used in 1980 and 1985 when he reminded Congolese priests and bishops of the need to stick to their celibacy vows.

Congo, Francis’ first stop, stands out as the African country with most Catholics hands down: Half of its 105 million people are Catholic, the country counts more than 6,000 priests, 10,000 nuns and more than 4,000 seminarians — 3.6% of the global total of young men studying for the priesthood.

Congolese faithful were flocking to Kinshasa for Francis’ main event, a Mass on Wednesday at Ndolo airport that is expected to draw as many as 2 million people in one of the biggest gatherings of its kind in Congo and one of Francis’ biggest Masses ever.

Banners emblazoned with the pope’s image carried messages including "Pope Francis, the city of Kinshasa welcomes you with joy."

Pope Francis arrives in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on Jan. 31, 2023, to start his six-day visit to Congo and South Sudan. He plans to bring a message of peace to the two countries that suffer from poverty and conflict. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Jean-Louis Mopina, 47, said he walked about 45 minutes to Kinshasa’s airport before the pope’s arrival on Tuesday.

"He has come like a pilgrim sent by God," Mopina said. "His blessing will give us peace in our hearts."

Inniance Mukania, who traveled to Kinshasa from the Kolwezi diocese in southern Congo, marveled at the efforts undertaken by some of the faithful.

"There are people who chartered planes to come here because there were so many of them!" Mukania said.

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On the eve of the pope’s visit, President Felix Tshisekedi met with foreign diplomats in Kinshasa and told them the visit was a sign of solidarity "particularly with the battered populations of the eastern part of the country, prey to acts of violence and intolerance that you are witnessing."

The trip was originally scheduled for July, but was postponed because of Francis’ knee problems. It was also supposed to have included a stop in Goma, in eastern Congo, but the surrounding North Kivu region has been plagued by intense fighting between government troops and the M23 rebel group, as well as attacks by militants linked to the Islamic State group.

The fighting has displaced some 5.7 million people, a fifth of them last year alone, according to the World Food Program.

Instead, Francis will meet with a delegation of people from the east who will travel to Kinshasa for a private encounter at the Vatican embassy. The plan calls for them to participate in a ceremony jointly committing to forgive their assailants.

While the people of Goma were saddened that Francis won’t be visiting the east, "we hope with the visit that the pope can bring a message of peace to the people of Congo who need it," said Providence Bireke, a Goma-based manager with AVSI, an Italian aid group active in the area.

The second leg of Francis’ trip will bring him to South Sudan, the world’s youngest country where continued fighting has hampered implementation of a 2018 peace deal to end a civil war. Francis first voiced his hope of visiting the majority Christian country in 2017, but security concerns prevented a visit and only contributed to worsening a humanitarian crisis that has displaced more than 2 million people.

The South Sudan stop also marks a novelty in the history of papal travel, in that Francis will be joined on the ground by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and the moderator of the Church of Scotland, the Rt. Rev. Iain Greenshields.

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The aim of the three-way visit is to show a united Christian commitment to helping South Sudan make progress on the implementation of the 2018 accord. Francis presided over a similar joint initiative in 2019 in the Vatican when he famously got down on hands and knees and kissed the feet of South Sudan’s rival leaders, begging them to make peace.

Since then, progress on implementing the accord — in particular creating a unified army comprised of government forces and opposition fighters — has been "painfully slow," said Paolo Impagliazzo of the Sant’Egidio Community, which has spearheaded an initiative to bring the groups that didn’t sign onto the 2018 accord into the process.

"The visit will bring hope to the people," Impagliazzo said in an interview in Rome. "And I believe the visit will strengthen the churches — the Anglican Church, the Catholic Church, the local church — that are playing a critical role in bringing about peace and dialogue in South Sudan."

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Eastern DRC has suffered unrest for years. But fighting has intensified and displaced one million people since the resurgence of the M23 armed group .

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What impact will his visit have on these states? And what future does Catholicism have in Africa?

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What you do not know about pope Francis' previous visits to Africa

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Pope Francis

Pope Francis, 86, begins a six-day trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South Sudan on January 31.

Since his election in 2013, the head of the Catholic Church has made four trips to the continent and visited eight countries.

Jorge Bergoglio made his first trip to Africa on the 25th of November 2015. 

2015: Kenya, Uganda and Central African Republic

He first landed in Nairobi Kenya where he met with the head of State, members of the Diplomatic corps. The day after, he presided over a mass at the University of Nairobi, met with the clergy and consecrated men and women before visiting the headquarters of the UN in the Kenyan capital.

On November 27, he visited the poor neighbourhood of Kangemi and delivered a speech to the youth in Kasarani Stadium. 

During his stay in Uganda (Nov. 27-28), he met with the President and representatives of the local Catholic Church as well as the youth. One of the highlights of his visit was a tour of the Anglican and Catholic sanctuary dedicated to 22 Christian martyrs and saints of the XIXth century. The Uganda Martyrs Shrine Namugongo is one of the largest Christian pilgrimage destinations on the continent.

The most anticipated part of his apostolic trip was his travel to the Central African Republic (Nov. 29-30). It was under tight security and focused on a message of peace, social justice and dialogue with Islam.

The central African country was still suffering from the consequences of inter-communal violence. Pope Francis made a symbolic gesture by visiting the central mosque in Bangui, and opened the "holy door" of the cathedral as a sign of reconciliation.

2017: Expressing closeness

In April 2017, the Argentine Jesuit made a two-day visit to Cairo (Ap. 28-29). It wasthe first papal trip to the Egyptian capital in 20 years. He wanted to mark his closeness to the largest Christian community in the Middle East, which had been battered by terrorist attacks. 

Indeed, Egypt’s ancient Christian community known as Coptic Christians faced an unprecedented pressure from Islamic State militants threatening to wipe it out.

The Pope's visit came weeks after suicide attacks on two churches killed dozens of people.

Francis also reached out to Muslims, alongside the Sunni Grand Imam of Al-Azhar. The Pontiff spoke at the Al-Azhar University, one of the most renowned Sunni institutions in the world, where he addressed an international peace conference hosted by Al-Azhar and chaired by its grand imam.

He advocated for ecumenical dialogue by meeting with the Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II.

2019: one year, 4 countries

Invited by King Mohammed VI, the pope visited Morocco, a Muslim country on March 30 and 31, 2019. During his visit in Rabat, Francis dropped by a rural centre of social services and a migrants assistance center. 

The kingdom became in recent years the main destination for sub-Saharan African migrants seeking to reach Europe via Spain.

Francis' visit was marked by calls for the respect of the rights of migrants, religious tolerance and freedom of conscience. He also warned Christians against any temptation to "proselytize", before celebrating mass in Rabat.

Together with His majesty King Mohammed VI, the Pope made an appeal for Jerusalem/ Al Quds to be a place of peace: "It is our hope that in the Holy City, full freedom of access to the followers of the three monotheistic religions and their right to worship will be guaranteed [...]" 

That reality has not been true in recent years as the city witnessed cycles of Israeli-Palestinian violence.

In September 2019, the spiritual father to about 1.3 billion Catholics toured the Indian Ocean, visiting Mozambique and Madagascar, but also Mauritius. In the lusophone nation, Francis met with political, religious and civil actors to discuss peace-related issues since Mozambique had been heavily affected by conflict and a jihadist insurgency, poverty and cyclone as well as floods.

In Madagascar (Sept. 6-8), Francis sounded the alarm about deforestation. 30 years after the last papal visit by John Paul II he celebrating a mass in front of a million faithful in the capital Antananarivo.

The final leg of his tour saw his stop by Mauritius for a one-day stay (Sept. 9). Thousands had gathered in front of the "Mary Queen of Peace" shrine where Francis celebrated mass. 

He also met with civil authorities and civil society at the presidential palace. Francis pleaded for peace and social justice.

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Pope Francis visited Verona on Saturday for a one-day pastoral visit to an event that calls to prayer and for peace in the world. (AP video shot by Luigi Navarra and Veronica Andrea Sauchelli)

Pope Francis greets crowds in Verona on one-day pastoral journey

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Dear Pope Francis, Come to America!

EDITORIAL: It’s our fervent hope that you will venture further afield in our nation to experience the beauty, faith and warmth of America and its people.

Late last month, it was reported that Pope Francis is contemplating a visit to the U.S. in late September to attend the opening of the next general assembly of the United Nations.

In light of this news, the Catholic faithful of America would like to deliver a heartfelt collective appeal to the Holy Father: If you can indeed fit such a papal trip into your busy schedule, please do visit us this fall! 

And if possible, please don’t confine your U.S. visit to the U.N.’s headquarters in New York City, which falls within the same geographical confines as your earlier trip here to attend the 2015 World Meeting of Families. 

It’s our fervent hope that you will venture further afield in our nation to experience the beauty, faith and warmth of America and its people — and to encounter a sampling of the multitude of ways our local Church is living out your call for the creative and forward-looking evangelization of a hurting modern world that’s in desperate need of the salvific love and mercy of Jesus Christ.

One of the guaranteed fruits of such a visit would be to affirm the affection that most Catholic Americans have toward Pope Francis. Indeed, according to a Pew Research Center poll released last month, 75% of U.S. Catholics view him favorably, as he moves into the 12th year of his pontificate.

Significantly, it would also provide a much-needed opportunity to dispel inaccuracies about the U.S. Church that have been propagated in Rome by some papal advisers, such as Jesuit Father Antonio Spadaro . Such misunderstandings have also been fostered by the caricatures of faithful American Catholics that our own nation’s secular press routinely propagates. 

A recent example is an April 30 Associated Press article , titled “‘A step back in time’: America’s Catholic Church sees an immense shift toward the old ways.” The article falsely conflates contemporary U.S. expressions of orthodox belief and worship with a hidebound and backward-facing traditionalism. As a result, it’s guilty of a number of howlers, such as mischaracterizing the Catholic campus apostolate Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) as “a traditionalist organization.”

Given the predominance of such reporting, it’s small wonder that Pope Francis reportedly commented last year that the Church in the U.S. “has a very strong reactionary attitude,” as the AP article pointedly notes.

In fact, as the Holy Father will be delighted to discern if he is able to travel more extensively here, nothing could be further from the truth. FOCUS itself is a case in point. A visit to any of the 193 campuses where youthful FOCUS missionaries are in place would provide an opportunity to see how they are drawing college students toward Christ . 

FOCUS also assists those who respond to this call by providing them with a variety of opportunities to serve others, including through missions to other countries in support of the poor and spiritually impoverished who live there. It’s hard to imagine an approach more in line with the vision of Pope Francis than that.

Similarly, a stop in any major U.S. metropolitan area’s inner city will communicate how the Catholic institutions of that urban area are mobilizing to fulfill the Christian imperative — and the generous American tradition — of welcoming the stranger through programs to assist the recent flood of new immigrants, delivered alongside of the numerous existing programs that extend help to other marginalized members of the communities. 

Another of Pope Francis’ central priorities has been the formation of holy and pastoral priests, men possessing “the smell of their sheep,” as he colorfully likes to put it. So a visit to a thriving archdiocesan seminary, such as St. John Vianney in Denver, would be in order. 

Less than 30 years old and located on the campus of the St. John Paul II Center for the New Evangelization, the seminary tangibly conforms to the Holy Father’s reminder, in his newly released letter to parish priests, that “we will never become a synodal and missionary Church unless parish communities are distinguished by the sharing of all the baptized in the one mission of proclaiming the Gospel.” It does this by offering programs for permanent deacons and for laypersons, in conjunction with its central purpose of forming new priestly pastors.

To employ a particularly American metaphor, a papal visit would represent an unparalleled spiritual doubleheader for our nation in 2024. That’s because if Pope Francis is able to make the trip, he will arrive at a time when U.S. Catholics will already be basking in the spiritual glow of the three-year National Eucharistic Revival , which culminates in the July 17-21 National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. No finer conclusion to the Revival could ever be imagined.

So please, Holy Father, do come to America if you can. We’d love to welcome you once again!

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Pope: With His Ascension Jesus leads our way to Heaven

By Lisa Zengarini

At the Regina Caeli prayer from the Apostolic Library this Sunday, marking the Ascension of the Lord in Italy and many other countries around the world, Pope Francis reflected on the meaning for us of Jesus rising into Heaven and sitting at the right hand of God (Mk 16:19).

The Pope explained that Christ’s ascension opens the way for us.  “Jesus' return to the Father appears to us not as a separation, but rather as an anticipation of our final destination,” he said.   As a “climbing partner” when we climb towards the summit of a mountain, He drags the Church, His body, to Heaven where he has ascended.

We too rise joyfully together with Him

“We too, His limbs,” the Pope continued, “rise joyfully together with Him, our head, knowing that the step of one is a step for all and that no one must get lost or be left behind because we are one body.”

“We too rise joyfully with Him.”

“Step by step, Jesus shows us the way,” the Pope explained, recalling that today’s Gospel  tells us  the steps we have to undertake which consist of carrying out God's works of love:  “giving life, bringing hope, keeping away from all malice and meanness, responding to evil with good, becoming close to those who suffer.”

Following Jesus step by step

“The more we do this,” Pope Francis said, “the more we let ourselves be transformed by His Spirit, the more we follow His example, as in the mountains, we feel the air around us become light and clean”.

Pope Francis therefore invited the faithful to ask themselves if they are following His steps: “Is the desire for God alive in me, for his infinite love, for his life which is eternal life? Or am I flattened and tied to transient things things, to money, to success, to pleasures? And does my desire for Heaven isolate me or does it lead me to love my brothers  to feel them as companions in the journey towards Paradise?”

Concluding, the Pope asked the Virgin Mary to help us “to walk together with joy towards the glory of Heaven.”

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VIDEO: Peter Obi visits late Nollywood actor Junior Pope's family

P eter Obi, the former Anambra State governor and presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the last election, recently visited the family of the late Nollywood actor, Junior Pope, to offer his condolences.

Kenneth Okonkwo, a Nollywood actor and former spokesperson of the Labour Party presidential campaign council, shared pictures and videos of the visit on his Instagram page on Saturday afternoon.

He captioned the images and videos, stating, “HE Peter Obi arrived at the residence of John Paul Odonwodo Junior Pope to pay his condolences to his family over the sad and untimely departure of their child, brother, husband, and father. He consoled his mother, Mrs. Maria Odonwodo, the widow, Jennifer, and his children.”

Junior Pope tragically passed away on April 10, 2024, along with three others, after their boat capsized on the Anam River in Anambra State while returning from a film location.

He was laid to rest in his hometown, Ukehe, Nsukka Local Government Area, Enugu State, on Friday.

Watch the video of his visit below:

A post shared by Kenneth Okonkwo (@iamkennethokonkwo)

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Pope Francis to visit Turkey next year, Ecumenical Patriarch says

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