By Paschal Norbert
VATICAN CITY, MAY 27, 2025 (CISA) — In a historic and heartfelt gesture, Pope Leo XIV on Monday, May 26, 2025, reached out to the African faithful in Swahili via his official X account, marking a powerful moment of recognition for the Church in Africa.
“Bara la Afrika linatoa ushuhuda mkubwa kwa ulimwengu mzima. Asante kwa kuishi imani yenu katika Yesu Kristo. Ni jinsi gani ilivyo muhimu kwamba kila mbatizwa ajisikie kuitwa na Mungu kuwa ishara ya matumaini katika Ulimwengu wa leo,” the Holy Father posted.
Translation: “The continent of Africa gives great witness to the whole world. Thank you for living your faith in Jesus Christ. How important it is that each and every baptized person feel himself or herself called by God to be a sign of hope in the world today!” 
The tweet, which has already garnered nearly half a million views, resonated deeply across Africa and beyond, with social media users flooding the comment section with gratitude, calls for papal visits, and reflections on their own faith journeys.
A Church Alive in Africa
The Pope’s message comes at a time when Africa represents the most dynamic growth region for the Catholic Church. According to the latest Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae (Vatican Statistics Yearbook), Africa accounts for approximately 260 million Catholics, making up about 20% of the global Catholic population.
Between 2010 and 2020 alone, the Catholic population in Africa grew by close to 40%, a rate unmatched anywhere else in the world. Vocations to the priesthood and religious life are also flourishing, with more than 32,000 major seminarians across the continent, particularly in Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Kenya. Africa has become a vital wellspring of missionary zeal and ecclesial leadership for the universal Church.
“Asante Baba Mtakatifu”
Many faithful were moved not only by the Pope’s praise but by his choice of language. Swahili, one of Africa’s most widely spoken languages, is used by over 150 million people across East Africa and parts of Central and Southern Africa, notably in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and even parts of Mozambique and Zambia.
Social media users welcomed the papal message with enthusiasm. One user, Juan Lozano, responded in Swahili:
“Kwa moyo wa shukrani ya dhati tunapokea maneno yako yaliyojaa faraja na kutambua ushuhuda wetu. Kwetu sisi, wana na binti wa Bara la Afrika, ni faraja kuu na chanzo cha nguvu kujua kwamba Kanisa la Ulimwengu linathamini na kuunga mkono ushuhuda wetu wa imani katika Yesu Kristo, hata katikati ya changamoto nyingi.”
Translation: “With a heart full of sincere gratitude, we receive your words filled with comfort and recognition of our witness. For us, sons and daughters of the African continent, it is a great consolation and source of strength to know that the Universal Church appreciates and supports our witness of faith in Jesus Christ, even amid many challenges.”
Lozano continued:
“Kama watu waliobatizwa, tunahisi wazi kuwa Mungu anatuita kuwa nuru katikati ya giza, kuwa mashahidi wa upendo unaookoa na kubadilisha. Wito huu si kwa wachache tu, bali ni mwito kwa kila mmoja wetu, bila ubaguzi. Afrika ina mengi ya kutoa kwa ulimwengu: imani hai, Kanisa changa lenye ari, uwezo wa ajabu wa kustahimili na moyo wa undugu na maelewano na uumbaji.”
Translation: “As baptized people, we clearly feel that God calls us to be light in the darkness, witnesses of love that saves and transforms. This call is not just for a few, but for each of us without exception. Africa has much to offer the world: a vibrant faith, a young and zealous Church, remarkable resilience, and a heart of fraternity, harmony, and care for creation.”
Another user, @madeinmusoma from Tanzania, simply wrote:
“Asante Baba Mtakatifu kwa kututia moyo. Tutaendelea kuwa mashahidi wa matumaini katika Kristo.”
Translation: “Thank you Holy Father for encouraging us. We will continue to be witnesses of hope in Christ.”
A Pope with African Insight
Though elected just a few weeks ago, Pope Leo XIV has already signaled his deep awareness of the African Church’s importance. His past experience as General Superior of the Augustinians gave him firsthand exposure to missionary life in Africa, including visits to Kenya and other nations where the Order was present.
This tweet in Swahili is more than symbolic, it reflects a commitment to inclusivity, cultural recognition, and the strengthening of ecclesial identity among African Catholics.
In choosing to speak in “a magical language,” as one user put it, the Holy Father not only made history but also affirmed a truth the Vatican has long recognized: the future of Catholicism is youthful, vibrant, and deeply rooted in the soil of Africa.
As the Church continues to grow across the continent, the Pope’s words in Swahili serve as both a tribute and a call ,a recognition of Africa’s witness, and an invitation for its people to keep shining as “ishara ya matumaini” ,signs of hope, to the world.
