Pope Francis: Champion of Africa’s Poor and Peacemaker

Pope Francis, the first pontiff from Latin America who reshaped the Catholic Church’s global mission and forged strong ties with conflict-hit regions in Africa, is being remembered for his unwavering commitment to peace, the poor and the displaced.

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Jesuit priest was elected pope in March 2013, becoming the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church.

He was the first pope from the Southern Hemisphere and the first non-European to lead the Church in more than 1,200 years.

Leaders across the world have showered praise to Pope, who has died at 88, terming him as a peacemaker.

Francis used his papacy to shift the Church’s focus towards social justice, economic inequality, climate change, and peacebuilding – particularly in Africa, where he forged deep ties with communities suffering from war and displacement.

His most symbolic visits included war-torn South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he condemned the exploitation of Africa’s resources and called for an end to decades of violence.

In Juba, South Sudan’s capital, he held Mass before tens of thousands, urging an end to tribalism, corruption and the use of child soldiers.

Francis made an emotional plea for peace in Darfur and other conflict zones across Sudan, often praying publicly for those suffering in refugee camps.

Although he never visited Sudan due to security concerns, he led global vigils and appealed to world leaders to do more for the displaced and persecuted.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, where militias have ravaged the eastern region for decades, Francis decried the global indifference to what he called a “forgotten genocide.”

During a historic Mass in Kinshasa, he called for international solidarity with Africa’s vulnerable.

Beyond his travels, Francis maintained a pastoral tone rooted in humility, famously living in a Vatican guesthouse instead of the papal apartments.

He also faced internal resistance over his progressive stance on issues such as LGBTQ rights, migration and financial transparency in the Vatican.

Pope Francis’s final years were marked by health challenges, but he continued to advocate for the marginalised.

His death ends a transformative era in the Catholic Church, marked by a bridge between continents, faiths, and peoples long overlooked.

gandae@businessdayafrica.org