Africa Mourns Pope Francis With An Eye On Church's Future

The death of Pope Francis at the age of 88 on Easter Monday prompted fulsome tributes from African leaders, who hailed his twelve years at the helm of the global Catholic Church.

Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu called Pope Francis a "tireless champion of the poor" and his South African president Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted his "world view of inclusion and equality."

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi extended his condolences to the Vatican, stating that the late Pope "leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of compassion and humanity that will forever remain etched in the conscience of mankind." King Mohammed VI of Morocco paid tribute to Pope Francis's "dedication to combatting marginalisation and poverty and defending human dignity."

From Rome to Rio De Janeiro, the Pope's loss is felt keenly by Catholics around the world and particularly in the African countries that are home to an estimated 272 million Catholics

According to the Vatican, over the past year alone, seven million Africans have converted to Catholicism, making the continent home to one of the fastest-growing Catholic populations in the world.