Johannesburg, 26 January, 2026 / 7:53 pm (ACI Africa).
Pope Leo XIV has called on members of the Southern African Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) to build on and sustain the heritage of the early missionaries whose zeal and commitment to spreading the Gospel were instrumental in shaping the Church in the region.
In a message delivered on his behalf by the Apostolic Nuncio in South Africa, Archbishop Henryk Mieczysław Jagodziński, during the opening Eucharistic celebration for the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the Southern African ecclesiastical hierarchy, the Holy Father underscored the vital role played by successive generations of missionaries in building strong and vibrant local communities of faith.
“Take this opportunity to commemorate those whose missionary spirit and dedication to proclaiming the Good News helped shape the Church in your land over these decades,” the Holy Father said at the Sunday, January 25, celebration that South Africa’s Catholic Archdiocese of Pretoria hosted at the Church of the Beatitudes, Zwavelpoort.
He added, “Indeed, evangelization is first and foremost God’s work, born of a personal encounter with Jesus Christ, from which authentic missionary discipleship flows.”
The Holy Father encouraged the SACBC members, who include Catholic Bishops in Botswana, Eswatini, and South Africa, to continue the early missionaries’ “legacy of being leaven in society, transforming it from within through daily lives permeated by the Gospel.”
