Catholic Church’s Role in Education, Healthcare Discussed at Pope Leo XIV’s Audience with Equatorial Guinean President

Pope Leo XIV’s first formal audience with an African President comes at a time when the African continent is grappling with the effects of violent conflict in West Africa, Central Africa and some countries in the horn of Africa.

On March 17, the Head of Programming at Denis Hurley Peace Institute (DHPI) of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC), Reabetswe Tloubatla, told ACI Africa in an interview that with the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels making inroads into DRC, and with significant gains already made in the mineral-rich Eastern part, the country risks a “complete breakdown”.

The result, she said, would be an influx of refugees to other African countries. This will in turn put a lot of pressure on the host countries, stressing that it should be in the best interest of other African countries to ensure that the ongoing war in DRC stops, and the country gains stability.

“DRC is one of the largest refugee producing countries in Africa. If the ongoing situation evolves badly, many people will have to flee and become refugees in neighbouring countries,” Ms. Tloubatla warned. 

The civil war in Sudan, which began in April 2023, with warring factions the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by two rival generals has resulted in thousands of deaths and millions of displacements. 

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In West Africa’s Nigeria, incidents of violent conflict have continued to prevail unabated. On June 4, Bishop Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe of the country’s Catholic Diocese of Makurdi denounced continued deadly attacks in his Episcopal See as amounting to a “genocide.”

Bishop Anagbe, whose Diocese has been forced to close 17 Parishes since 2018, described the ongoing conflict as “part of a systematic campaign of territorial conquest and religious persecution targeting Christian communities in Nigeria’s Benue State.”

The Nigerian-born member of the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (CMF/Claretians) expressed has been vocal about the upsurge in violence in Benue State. 

On March 12, he made a passionate plea to the U.S to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) owing to increased Islamist attacks against Christians in the country.

“God can change even the most hardened of people. Those who die will die. Those who live will tell the story,” Bishop Anagbe told ACI Africa during the June 4 interview. 

He added, “We will continue to pray and ask God for direction. God is the source of every civilization. He will never disappoint us.”

Nicholas Waigwa is a Kenyan multimedia journalist and broadcast technician with a professional background in creating engaging news stories and broadcasting content across multiple media platforms. He is passionate about the media apostolate and Catholic Church communication.