During the Marian month of May, Pope Francis has asked people to pray for the “Church in Africa [that it] may be a seed of unity among her peoples and a sign of hope for the entire continent.”
In the pope's video message, he thanks all the religious members and missionaries involved in creating “dialogue and reconciliation among the various sectors of African society.'
He says only in promoting “unity in diversity” can “ethnic, linguistic, and tribal divisions in Africa” be overcome.
According the 2018 Pontifical Yearbook, Africa is home to 17.6 percent of the world's Catholics. It is also a continent with the greatest activity and demand for pastoral services.
The Catholic Church in Africa has 1,321 hospitals, 1,130 orphanages and 2,112 marriage counseling centers among other activities. Pope Francis will also be traveling to Africa in September 2019.
