Late Pope Francis Had Africa among Pastoral Priorities: Pauline Sisters in Kenya on Late Pontiff’s Legacy

Reflecting on the late Pontiff’s legacy, Sr. Praxides emphasized the late Pope Francis’ constant attention to Africa, noting that “he saw Africa as a priority in his work of evangelization.”

“During his visits to Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and other parts of the continent, he reminded the world that Africa is the 'lung of humanity'—a continent giving life and hope,” Sr. Praxides told ACI Africa.

She recalled the late Pontiff’s words addressed to the global community during his  2023 visit to DRC, when he urged the international community “stop exploiting Africa.” 

“He referred to the DRC as the ‘lung of Africa’ and called on the international community to stop exploiting the continent, declaring, ‘Hands off Africa.’ He saw us as a people who give life and embody hope, especially within the Catholic Church, where vocations to Religious Life and the Priesthood are growing, and the Christian faith is flourishing. He really valued Africa,” the Kenyan-born FSP member emphasized. 

She continued, “Africa is often forgotten, but Pope Francis placed us at the forefront, empowering us to evangelize and spread the Word of God to the peripheries.”

As Directress of PPA, Sr. Praxides has overseen the publication of Pope Francis’ major works, including his Encyclical Letters, Apostolic Exhortations, as well as Apostolic Letters. She told ACI Africa, “As Paulines Publications Africa, we didn't want his work to remain with us.”

PPA is now working on a special biography of Pope Francis tailored for African readers, Sr. Praxides said, adding, “We just want to put his biography together so that people can relate with him as our honour to him.”

She said PPA is working with the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) to “bring in kind of working document out of the final document of the Synod on Synodlity, something that can be used even in Small Christian Communities (SCCs).”

Also speaking to ACI Africa on May 2, Sr. Olga Massango shared memories from Pope Francis’ pastoral visit to her native country of Mozambique in September 2019.

Sr. Olga recalled how the Pope chose to visit the Southern African nation shortly after Cyclone Idai in what she said was a gesture that uplifted the people of God in the country, who were on the verge of despair.

Sr. Olga Massango. Credit: ACI Africa

The FSP member went on to recall the late Pope Francis’ message to young people in Mozambique, saying, “He encouraged them really to live in the spirit of fraternity. I saw Pope Francis really as a man of God in his pastoral action that focused on uplifting all the human dignity.”

In Mozambique, she recalled, the late Pontiff “came to bring hope, especially to the youths. At an interreligious meeting, he encouraged them to live in a spirit of fraternity. He brought a message of peace and dignity.” 

“Pope Francis was a man who truly lived out the call to evangelize the peripheries. Why do I say this? In Xai-Xai (Mozambican Diocese), long before he became Pope, he initiated and sent a lay missionary group following a Latin American Missionary Congress,” Sr. Olga recalled. 

She continued, “That group, which he personally started, is still active today, bringing the Gospel to places where Priests often cannot reach. We're talking about extremely remote areas, deep in the bush, near the border with Zimbabwe, the southernmost and most isolated regions. Their presence and witness to the faith stand as a living testimony to Pope Francis’ missionary vision and initiative.”

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In the May 2 interview, Sr. Olga described the late Pope Francis’ institution of the Sunday of the Word of God as “one of his greatest gifts to the Church.”

“He helped us return to the roots of our faith. I emulate him and I carry him in my heart because I believe without the Word of God, the church cannot grow,” she said.

Sr. Olga continued, “I feel that Pope Francis is a man that not only spoke by word, but he led the people by doing. He would not say go to the prisons and practice the works of mercy, but he himself in his position as a leader of the Church and as our Holy Father, he could reach out to the prisoners.”

“He was a very simple man, approachable. May his soul rest in peace,” Sr. Olga implored in the May 2 interview on the sidelines of the Perpetual Profession of three FSP members: Sr. Angela Mutethya Mwinzi, Sr. Clementine Kathini Maundu, and Sr. Elizabeth Masaku.