When Pope Francis presided over a Mass that incorporated elements of Congolese tradition in St. Peter’s Basilica in 2019, it was seen as a sign of his enduring commitment to Roman Catholics across Africa.
When he visited African migrants in southern Italy and later kissed the feet of South Sudan’s two competing warlords, his actions drew more attention to his focus on a continent where the number of Catholics is growing faster than anywhere else in the world.
“Being from Latin America, he felt for our predicaments as a third-world continent struggling in a world controlled from far away,” said Cardinal John Onaiyekan, the former archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria, who voted in the 2013 conclave that elected Francis.
As Cardinal Onaiyekan and his peers prepare to meet in the Sistine Chapel next week to elect the new pope after Francis’ death, the question of how Africa’s rising Catholic population might shape the next papacy and the church’s future has become more timely than ever.
About a fifth of Africa’s population, roughly 280 million people, are Catholic. Nearly a fifth of all Catholics are Africans, and that balance is changing: According to the Vatican, more than half of the 13 million people who joined the church in 2022 were in Africa.
Africa produces the highest number of seminarians in the world. Of the 135 cardinals who will name the next pope, 18 are from Africa.
Francis’ legacy in Africa is mixed, with some crediting him for adapting church teachings to African customs and others saying his messages at times felt out of touch with the diverse and strongly held beliefs that animate many African societies.
On same-sex marriage and divorce, Francis’ blessing of same-sex couples faced a strong rebuke from African bishops and many Catholics in countries where homosexuality remains criminalized, stigmatized or taboo. The resistance from African bishops highlighted their growing influence within the church, observers say.
“Pope Francis had a certain solidarity with Africa, and I think his teachings on social issues were appreciated,” said Father Giulio Albanese, an Italian missionary who worked in Uganda in the 1980s and accompanied Francis on two trips to Africa. “But sometimes the openness of the people is not accepted by the bishops.”
Francis visited 10 African countries over five trips throughout his 12-year papacy, while his predecessor visited the continent twice.
Among Francis’ potential successors from Africa is Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, the 65-year-old archbishop of Kinshasa, whom Francis made a cardinal in 2019, who was a member of his Council of Cardinals and who led the opposition to the Vatican’s declaration allowing the church to bless homosexual couples.
That opposition essentially forced Francis to let African bishops ignore the policy.
Other African contenders include Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana, who was a candidate in the 2013 conclave and holds views similar to Francis’ on climate change, social justice and homosexuality.
On the other end of the spectrum is Cardinal Robert Sarah of Guinea, who was a leading opponent of Francis and his attempts to modernize the church.
The election of an African pope would most likely usher in an era of conservatism, in line with the traditional views of many African Catholics.
On many topics, however, African Catholics said Francis had preached values close to their hearts, including a more respectful relationship to nature, interreligious dialogue with Islam and the importance of incorporating local traditions into one’s faith.
Even on homosexuality, many said Francis’ approach was one of subtlety that resonated in Africa and made the church’s doctrine more appealing on a continent with the world’s highest share of young people.
“Pope Francis’ stance on homosexuals was one of both reaffirming traditional Catholic teaching while also advocating for greater inclusivity and respect,” said Brian Mboh, 28, who is Catholic and a communications professional from Cameroon, where homosexuality is criminalized.
During a private audience with the pope in 2023, Sheila Leocádia Pires, a communications officer for the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, said she raised the issue of single mothers’ being deprived of the Eucharist in Africa. “All are welcome,” was his answer, said Ms. Pires.
For all of Francis’ attention to Africa, Catholics there noted that his influence and calls for peace yielded few results.
The war in the Democratic Republic of Congo entered a new deadly phase this year. African migrants still face deadly obstacles in the perilous journey to Europe. The two competing leaders of South Sudan are threatening a new war.
“They forgot how he knelt down and kissed their feet since they’re at each other’s throats again,” said Cardinal Onaiyekan.
Others said the care and attention Francis gave to Africa would be what they remembered about him most.
“Our country was at war but he still came here to share our suffering,” said Eugenie Ndumba, a parish lecturer in Congo, which Francis visited in 2023.
“He knew where his children were, and he made sure he went toward them.”
Reporting was contributed by Neil MacFarquhar from Rome; Jack Buunda from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo; Eugene Ndi Ndi from Yaounde, Cameroon; Zimasa Matiwane from Johannesburg; and Pius Adeleye from Eket, Nigeria.
