Cardinal: Pope’s visit to Africa is journey with suffering Church

Cardinal Pietro Parolin said the Pope is travelling to Africa “to be close to those living on the existential peripheries”.

The four countries the Pope will visit – Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea – “are different in history, social context and political challenges, yet united by an underlying reality marked by both light and shadow: vibrant and deeply rooted Catholic communities, but also poverty, fragility, inequality and unresolved tensions”, Cardinal Parolin said.

The Vatican Press Office said that during the Pope’s visits to the four nations from April 13 to 23, the Holy Father will address themes including peace, dialogue, care for creation, migration and the family.

Discussing some of the sites to which the Pope will travel, Cardinal Parolin noted that a visit to the Great Mosque of Algiers is “a natural continuation of the path of interreligious dialogue already undertaken in Türkiye and Lebanon – a dialogue that the Holy Father intends to pursue with patience and determination”.

In the Anglophone regions of Cameroon, an ongoing crisis has caused many casualties, the cardinal noted, and “the Holy Father travels to the country as a bearer of hope – especially for young people – of reconciliation and peace. His message is an invitation to dialogue and mutual respect”.

In parts of Angola, the exploitation of natural resources has brought prosperity, but some of its negative consequences cannot be overlooked, such as the exploitation of workers, the widening socio-economic gap and the environmental impact, Cardinal Parolin added. But the Pope’s visit to the Marian shrine of Muxima “represents the vitality of faith that has helped the Angolan people overcome the various difficult moments of their history”.

Equatorial Guinea is among the most Catholic countries in Africa, with about 80 per cent of the population adhering to the Catholic faith, Cardinal Parolin said.

“The Pope’s visit and his meetings – especially with young people and families – will rekindle the flame of their faith, encouraging them to cultivate and persevere in Christian values,” he said.

“. . . Each stage of the upcoming Apostolic Journey. . . becomes an opportunity to reaffirm the Church’s commitment, alongside civil and religious institutions, in favour of peaceful coexistence among different faiths and ethnic groups, social justice, the fight against poverty and the protection of human dignity,” Cardinal Parolin said.

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Cardinal Parolin on Pope’s Africa visit: Catholics should promote change (By Massimiliano Menichetti/Vatican News)