Pope Francis: why his papacy mattered for Africa – and for the world’s poor and marginalised
Pope Francis arrives to celebrate a giant open-air mass at the University of Nairobi on November 26, 2015. Pope Francis landed in Kenya's capital Nairobi on November 25 on the first leg of a landmark trip to Africa, with huge crowds, choirs and dancers waiting to greet him. The 78-year-old pontiff, the third pope to visit the continent, is also scheduled to visit Uganda and the troubled Central African Republic (CAR) on a six-day trip.
The death of Pope Francis in an Italian hospital on April 21, 2025, marks the end of a significant era for the Vatican and the global Catholic following of 1.3 billion faithful.
The first pope from the Americas and also the first to come from outside the West in the modern era, Pope Francis was elected leader of the Catholic church on March 13, 2013.
