Pope Francis visited Africa 5 times in his 12 years, traveling to 10 countries on the continent. His first visit took him to Kenya, the Central African Republic (CAR), and South Sudan in November 25  – 30, 2015. His second visit was to Morocco in March 30 – 31, 2019; his third visit was to Mozambique, Madagascar, and Mauritius in September 4 – 9, 2019; while his last visit was in February 2 – 5, 2023, to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and again South Sudan. His visits supposedly focused on inter-religious dialogue Christian-Muslim as in CAR, peace building as in South Sudan, and social justice. He denounced corruption and economic colonialism, and even ‘asked’ colonial powers to let Africa flourish, which many people saw mostly as symbolic empty words. Let us ponder below, on some of his visits.

As we all know, there are no coincidences, and no charity! Why would the Pope visit CAR, one of the worlds’ ‘poorest’ countries? Because he loved peace? Because he loved the poor so much?  It is important to remember that CAR has a lot of diamond mines and … uranium. Remember how Bokassa used to give Valéry Giscard d’Estaing ostrich-egg-size diamonds? During his visit to the DRC, the Pope made a grand speech stating all the things Africans love to hear, Pope says Hands off Africa: “Hands off the Democratic Republic of the Congo! Hands off Africa! Stop choking Africa, it is not a mine to be stripped or a terrain to be plundered.” Why would the Pope visit the DRC just after the big signing of cobalt and copper mines to the US, and after Anthony Blinken, the Belgian king, …? Or South Sudan? Did you know that South Sudan has the 3rd largest oil fields in Africa behind Nigeria and Angola? This is not an attack on religion or the Pope, it is just facts! President Charles De Gaulle of France once said that, “states do not have friends, they only have interests.”  

In 2019, the Pope visited Mozambique just before the major signing of the biggest gas fields in the world to the French firm Total and a condominium of commercial banks from around the world descended upon it? Ever since that 15 billion dollars contract with the French firm Total for the oil in Cabo Delgado, and the discovery of one of the largest oil, gas, diamonds, rubies fields in the world, peace in northern Mozambique has become evasive (Who/What did we say goodbye to in Africa in 2020?). Mozambique is home to some of the world’s largest ruby mines with Montepuez Ruby mine being the most significant … guess where it is located… Cabo Delgado! We are now to believe that Islamists jumped over Congo, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, to land in… Mozambique to start an Islamic insurgency! After his Mozambican visit, Pope Francis sent money to help the people and children of Mozambique who have been displaced by conflict! … Why did the Vatican not help the government of Samora Machel in their fight for independence back in the days? or some of the more recent governments? Why send money for the displaced, and not force for peace or have peace summits (not that these help anyways), etc? It is no secret the part that the Vatican played in the Angolan Civil War between the MPLA of Jose Eduardo Dos Santos and the UNITA of Jonas Savimbi, so it is only fair to be skeptical about a pope touring these very rich countries.  

In 2023, a Vatican statement said the papal bulls, or decrees, “did not adequately reflect the equal dignity and rights of Indigenous peoples” and “therefore [the Vatican] repudiates those concepts that fail to recognize the inherent human rights of Indigenous peoples, including what has become known as the legal and political ‘doctrine of discovery.’” It has been 2 years since this “rejection of the ‘Doctrine of Discovery’”, and we can now state that it was all words … no actions! [Vatican rejects ‘Doctrine of Discovery’ used to Justify Colonial Quest and Theft of Land, Dum Diversas or The Vatican’s Authorization of Slavery].

Maybe now, we will see an African pope? Everyone acknowledges that the Catholic church’s future is in Africa, but the African presence in the Vatican is still sparse. We doubt that there will now be an African pope, but even if there is, it will probably be a bonnet blanc et blanc bonnet like Obama, and one used just like him or Kofi Annan before him, to usher some of the greatest atrocities on the continent. Thus, dear African, please don’t sleep! As the Catholics of the world mourn, sympathize; but don’t get distracted! This is the era of the New Scramble for Africa … Stay awake! Sharpen your minds and weapons, and free yourself! Let us not forget that the original Scramble for Africa started with missionaries as Sengat-Kuo showed in his poem ‘Ils Sont Venus’ / ‘They Came’.