In Africa, he went on to say, we have “fathers and mothers…the youth on which the future, not only of the Church but of the world, is built. Let’s work hard for that; let’s show the world that we can do it, that we are the future.”
In his remarks on October 5, the Apostolic Nuncio in Kenya following his appointment in February 2019 reflected on Pope Leo XIV’s genealogy, saying he has links with Africa.
“Where does this man really come from? You know, because all Americans, in one way or another, are mixed up, they have blood from all kinds of people that came in,” Archbishop van Megen said, and recalled that the Holy Father “has a father who is basically of Italian and French descent, and he has a mother who is of Spanish and African descent.”
With this, he said, the Holy Father’s ancestors were “living in New Orleans, which is in the very south of the United States, and were registered as black. He basically came all the way from Haiti at that point.”
The Vatican diplomat went on to recall speculations about the possible successor of the late Pope Francis, including the possibility of an African Pontiff.
In an interview, he recalled, saying, “Why shouldn’t it be? By now, nearly one-third of all Catholics are of African blood, of African descent. So, why shouldn’t it be an African?”
“Actually, I would have voted maybe for an African,” he said, adding, “I was wrong because he is an American, and twice I was wrong because, well, he also has a passport from Peru, because he worked more than 10 years in Peru, in Latin America.”
Singling out Kenya as one of the African countries Pope Leo XIV could consider visiting, Archbishop van Megen reiterated his message on the closeness of Pope Leo XIV with the East African nation, where his confreres, members of the Order of St. Augustine (OSA/Augustinians), have communities.
In his October 5 remarks at St. Theresa Kalimoni Parish, Archbishop van Megen disclosed his planned visit to the Vatican, in which he said he will once again invite the Holy Father to Kenya.
“It’s been nearly exactly 10 years by now, so it’s time for the Holy Father to come back. Let’s see whether we manage it, whether I will still be around to be able to receive him if it comes to that,” the Apostolic Nuncio in Kenya said at the Family Day celebration, where couples received the Sacrament of Matrimony.
