Kayode Akintola, Head of Region for Africa at CAFOD (Catholic Agency for Overseas Development), said:
“Pope Leo’s visit to Africa highlights the significant role the Church plays in millions of lives across this culturally rich and diverse continent.
"When so many in Africa are facing immense challenges from conflict, climate change, or living in countries weighed down by unjust debt, the Catholic Church is delivering life-saving aid, food, shelter, healthcare and education. In many regions, Christians and Muslims are working together to build and strengthen community life, supporting livelihoods, reducing reliance on food aid, and promoting recovery and peacebuilding.
"At a time when aid cuts mean funding is less secure, the Church is working with love and compassion, reaching hard-to-reach places, restoring human dignity, and bringing people together to transform millions of lives.”
Lucy Esipila, Regional Coordinator at Caritas Africa, said:
“The arrival of Pope Leo XIV on African soil, visiting Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea, is a profound sign of peace, social friendship and justice in action. As Africans, we welcome this visit as a celebration of our people’s warmth, resilience, and the vitality of the Catholic community, which remains steadfast in a changing world.
“At a time when many African nations continue to face conflict, debt burdens and widening inequalities, this Apostolic journey is a powerful expression of synodality of 'walking together' as a global Church that listens to voices from the peripheries. It is an opportunity for the Holy Father to witness both the hopes and the struggles of our people, from economic injustice to the lasting impacts of conflict.
"At Caritas Africa, we believe this opportune moment must help amplify the voices of those affected by these challenges and renew commitment to interfaith dialogue, justice, solidarity and peace. This indeed is a symbolic call for us all to strengthen our shared responsibility in building a more just and compassionate world.”
Notes to editors
For more information or interview requests, please contact:
Rosalind Mayfield, CAFOD Media Officer
Melissa Nethersole, CAFOD Media Officer
CAFOD’s out-of-hours media line
CAFOD is the official aid agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, and part of Caritas Internationalis, working with communities across Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America to fight poverty and injustice, including those worst hit by climate change. The agency works with people in need, regardless of race, gender, religion or nationality.
CAFOD is funded mainly by voluntary donations from people in the Catholic community of England and Wales. We also receive funding from fellow Catholic charities and development agencies, the DEC, trusts and foundations, and the UK and other governments.
What we do
CAFOD is the official aid agency for the Catholic Church in England and Wales.
With your help, we reach out to people living in hard-to-reach places, in war zones and those who are discriminated against.