Nuncio in South Africa Optimistic after President Ramaphosa’s Vatican Visit, Sees Prospects for Future Apostolic Journey

Johannesburg, 22 January, 2026 / 5:07 PM

The Apostolic Nuncio in South Africa has expressed optimism that President Cyril Ramaphosa’s November 2025 visit to the Holy See, during which he formally invited Pope Leo XIV to visit the Southern African nation, could lay the groundwork for a future apostolic trip to the country.

Addressing members of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) at the opening of their Plenary Assembly on Tuesday, 20 January, Archbishop  Henryk Mieczysław Jagodziński reflected on the state of relations between the Holy See and South Africa, describing President Ramaphosa’s Vatican visit as “of particular significance.”

Archbishop Jagodziński noted that the encounter between the South African Head of State and the Holy Father, together with the explicit invitation extended to Pope Leo XIV, should be understood not merely as a diplomatic gesture, but as a call to sustained and responsible preparation.

“Last year’s meeting between President Ramaphosa and the Holy Father, together with this explicit invitation addressed to Pope Leo XIV, should serve as an encouragement for all of us to work patiently and responsibly towards the realization of such a pastoral visit,” the Vatican diplomat said.

He further underscored the importance of the message President Ramaphosa conveyed to the Holy Father on 8 November 2025, describing it as a meaningful expression of goodwill and openness that could inspire broader ecclesial and national readiness for a future papal visit.

Archbishop Jagodziński said, “At its conclusion, he (President Ramaphosa) wrote words of particular significance for the Church in South Africa: ‘It is my great privilege to join the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference to extend an invitation to the Holy Father to visit South Africa. We would be greatly honored to host you in our beautiful country.’”

“These words express not only the desire of the civil authorities but also the deep hope of the Catholic community in South Africa to further strengthen its bonds with the Successor of Saint Peter,” the Holy Father’s representative in South Africa since April 2024 said.

The Polish-born Vatican diplomat observed that President Ramaphosa’s visit to the Holy See was significant “as it was only the second official meeting in history between a president of South Africa and a Pope.”

“The first such visit was made in 1998 by Nelson Mandela, an encounter that remains a landmark in the history of relations between the Holy See and South Africa,” Archbishop Jagodziński said.

Discussions between Pope Leo XIV and the South African President during their November 2025 meeting at the Vatican focused on the “valuable contribution” of the Catholic Church to South Africa, highlighting the long-standing relationship between the Church and the Southern African nation.

“During the cordial talks, mutual appreciation was expressed for the valuable contribution that the Catholic Church provides to South Africa, particularly in the areas of education and healthcare, and its ongoing commitment to foster dialogue and reconciliation within society,” the Holy See Press Office said in a statement issued on 8 November 2025.

Meanwhile, in his January 20 address to the SACBC members, the Polish-born diplomat, who also represents the Holy Father in Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia, and Eswatini, further recalled the only Papal visit in the history of relations between the Holy See and South Africa, noting, “The historic journey remains a vivid sign of the closeness of the Successor of Peter to the people of this land.”

“It is also worth recalling that only one Pope has visited this country: Saint John Paul II, who came on a single pastoral visit,” Archbishop Jagodziński said, alluding to the September 1995 Apostolic journey to South Africa, during which the Holy Father presented the outcomes of the Special Session for Africa of the Synod of Bishops, held the previous year in Rome.

The Church in Africa is anticipating a Papal visit, with Angola earmarked as one of the African countries Pope Leo XIV plans to visit in what will be his first pastoral trip to the continent as Pontiff.

The Apostolic Nuncio in the Southern African nation, Archbishop Kryspin Witold Dubiel, confirmed on January 13 that the Holy Father had accepted invitations from both the Catholic Bishops of Angola and the country’s President, João Lourenço, adding that the timelines and itinerary of the visit and program are being finalized.

“At this moment, we are preparing the plan and program for Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Africa. We do not yet have details on the exact date or program, but these will be communicated as soon as they are defined,” Archbishop Dubiel said.

The native of Poland’s Catholic Diocese of Przemyśl invited all Angolan citizens to prepare for this significant event.

“I hope that the Holy Father’s visit will be an opportunity to rediscover the values that have shaped the Angolan people and to share these values with the diverse communities that live and work around the world,” the Vatican diplomat in Angola, who also represents the Holy Father in São Tomé and Príncipe, said.