How Pope Francis redefined the Church’s ties with Africa | Religion News

Thousands of miles from the Vatican, the death of Pope Francis is being mourned by millions of Catholics on the African continent.

Francis, who was renowned for his liberal embrace of all groups of people and his vocal support for poor and marginalised communities, was a key figure on a continent sometimes referred to as the “future of the Catholic Church”, owing to the vast population of African Catholics: One in five Catholics is African.

Throughout his papal leadership, Pope Francis…