NAIROBI, Kenya – Catholic Church leaders across Africa have described the first year of Pope Leo XIV’s papacy as a period of pastoral closeness, missionary renewal, peace advocacy and a renewed focus on the church’s peripheries.
In separate reflections shared with ACI Africa, EWTN News’s sister service in Africa, on the first anniversary of the election of Pope Leo XIV on May 8, 2025, many pointed specifically to the Pope First apostolic journey to Africa as a defining moment of his ministry.
Church leaders across the continent have also highlighted the Holy Father’s emphasis on dialogue, reconciliation, missionary outreach, justice and peace.
through the Chairman of Seminar of the Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo of Catholic Archdiocese of Kinshasa In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Catholic bishops in Africa said that “during this first year of his papacy, his witness of faith and humility has become a source of hope for the Church and the world.”
He said Pope Leo’s “tireless appeals for peace, reconciliation, justice and human brotherhood have touched the hearts of all nations and renewed faith in the Gospel of Christ, especially among those who suffer from war, poverty, displacement and social injustice.”
For SECAM, the Holy Father’s recently concluded visit to Africa was “not just a pastoral visit, but also a powerful gesture of communion, closeness and encouragement.”
“He came to Africa as a true apostle of Christ and a messenger of peace, strengthening the faith of people, consoling the suffering, inspiring youth and affirming the dignity of every human person,” the continental bishops’ body said.
The ‘margins’ become the centre.
bishop Christian Carlasare South Sudanese Catholic Diocese of BentiuApostolic Administrator of Catholic Diocese of Rumbekdescribed the Pope’s choice of Africa for his first intercontinental visit as a strong ecclesiastical statement.
“Going to Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea means declaring through actions that the gospel does not follow maps of power but transcends and overturns them,” Carlasare said in his reflection shared with ACI Africa.
He added: “In a world that measures people’s value according to economic weight, this trip reversed the perspective: the so-called ‘margins’ became the center.”
members of italian descent Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus He said that God’s people in Africa are “not ‘a community receiving aid’ but living subjects of mission.”
“Here, faith is not a cultural fact or tradition: it is choice, resistance and concrete hope,” he said.
Reflecting on the importance of the Pope’s engagement with African realities, Carlasare said the visit highlights that “this mission is increasingly a circular movement of mutual giving and receiving.”
He added, “And in this movement, one realizes that it is often the ‘small’ people who promote the ‘great’ people.”
Chairman of Federation of Member Episcopal Conferences in East Africa (AMECEA), Bishop Charles Sampa Kasonde of zambia Catholic Diocese of SolweziAlso reflected on the Pope’s visit to Africa.
Cassonde said of the first Pope of the United States, “This is a Pope who is bringing us together to realize the gift of love in our ministry and our mission as a Church.” Order of St. Augustine.
referring to the Apostolic visit of Leo XIV to Algeria on 13–15 AprilThe Zambian bishops said the Holy Father “connects to his roots, St. Augustine of HippoWho is the patron saint of his congregation as Augustinians.
Kasonde added, “He pays tribute to this great son of Africa.”
The AMECEA President also reflected on the Holy Father’s emphasis on Christian-Muslim relations during his visit to Algeria. “This also opens up dialogue with our brothers and sisters, Muslims, in appreciating the importance of the religion,” Kasonde said in his audio reflection.
On the Pope’s visit to Cameroon, Cassonde said Pope Leo sought to “form bonds of friendship and pray for the unity that remains among the children of God.”
for the bishop Diego Ramon Sario Cucarella Algerian Catholic Diocese of Laghouat-GhardaiaThe presence of Pope Leo in Algeria, the first Pope to visit the North African nation, held deep significance for the local Church.
“His visit to Algeria was experienced by many people beyond our small local church and the Catholic community as a moment of brotherhood, peace and spiritual encouragement,” Diego said.
Spanish-born members of missionaries to africa (MAfr/White Fathers) added: “His words on the importance of dialogue, reconciliation, the dignity of every human person and building bridges struck a deep chord with the Algerian people.”
In his reflection shared with ACI Africa, Diego described the Holy Father’s insistence that “believers are called to become artisans of peace and brotherhood in a wounded world” as “particularly meaningful.”
‘The Church should remain a symbol of peace’
in cameroon, bishop Michael Miyabesue Bibi of Catholic Diocese of Buea He said that during this time many people were influenced by the message of the Holy Father four day apostolic visit.
Bibi recalled, “Many of the faithful in Cameroon were deeply moved by his encouraging words, calling on Africans ‘not to lose hope despite the difficulties of the present times’ and his reminder that ‘the Church must remain a symbol of peace, reconciliation and hope in society.'” 15-18 April tour.
Cameroon’s bishops said the Pope’s “closeness to young people, displaced persons and families facing difficulties has left a lasting spiritual impact on many people across the country.”
For your part, Bishop Jose Luis Gerardo Ponce de Leon eswatini Catholic Diocese of Manzini South Africa said that the first anniversary of Pope Leo XIV cannot be reflected on after his election on May 8, 2025 without remembering his first address as Pope.
Recalling the Holy Father’s “call to peace, unarmed and unarmed, humble and steadfast,” Ponce de León said, “We cannot help but remember his first address on this day.”
“These are not just words. We have seen him lead them every day over the past year and call on each of us to be peacemakers with him and like him,” Argentina’s member Consolata Missionaries Institute (IMC) said in a reflection shared with ACI Africa.
for the bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kusala South Sudanese Catholic Diocese of Tombura-YambioPope Leo’s first year resonated strongly in a continent “burdened with conflict, poverty, corruption and fragile social structures”.
“Pope Leo XIV speaks directly to this reality,” Hiiboro said in a reflection shared with ACI Africa, adding that the Holy Father “reminds us that leadership must become service and that the dignity of each human person must remain at the center of society.”
Considering the context of South Sudan, the South Sudanese bishops who chair the Commission to Promote Integral Human Development Sudan and South Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference Said: “Our peace remains fragile, yet our faith remains strong.”
‘The Church…is called to see, to recognize, to give voice’
In his reflection shared with ACI Africa, Carlasare also spoke about exploitation, injustice and the prophetic role of the Church.
Recalling Pope Leo XIV’s apostolic visit to Africa, he said, “Pope Leo returned resolutely to the theme of exploitation.” “He spoke of plundered natural resources, economic dependency and reliance on humanitarian aid due to poor governance and lack of peace.”
carlasare late quote Pope Francis’ January 2023 appeal In the DRC, recalling: “Join hands with Africa. Stop suffocating it: this is not a natural reservoir to be exploited or land to be plundered.”
For Carlasare, Pope Leo’s emphasis on dialogue and encounter also came to the fore during his pastoral visit to Africa.
“Mission does not go through ideological confrontation but through daily relationships and being a neighbor to others,” he said. “In a global system that renders entire peoples invisible, the Church is called to do the opposite: to see, to recognize, to give voice.”
As Pope Leo XIV marks one year since his election, African church leaders continue to envision his papacy through the lens of missionary closeness, peace-building, and attention to those living on the periphery.
In a message addressed to Pope Leo XIV on the occasion of his first anniversary as Pope, the SECAM leadership said that the Holy Father’s “words and gestures” have “renewed missionary zeal, encouraged reconciliation where wounds and divisions remain, deepened solidarity between Church communities, and strengthened the Church’s commitment to justice, peace and integral human development.”
“The Church in Africa entrusts her ministry to the loving protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary,” said Catholic bishops in Africa in a message signed by Cardinal Ambongo, president of SECAM.
this story was first published Produced by ACI Africa, EWTN News’ sister service in Africa, and adapted by EWTN News.
