A new analysis from Pew Research Center has found that Catholicism has lost more members than it has gained in most of the 24 countries surveyed, while Protestantism has seen net gains in several nations, especially Latin America.
Africa
Posted inVatican Dispatch
Asked about regime change in Iran, Pope Leo says, ‘I cannot be in favor of war.’
“The question is not whether there is regime change or no regime change; the question is how to promote the values in which we believe without the death of so many innocent people.”
Posted inNews
Pope Leo at final Mass in Equatorial Guinea: The Gospel message brings freedom, justice and hope
(OSV News) — On his last day in Equatorial Guinea, Pope Leo XIV reminded Catholics in the country to seek strength, justice and hope from the Gospel and the sacraments. “If you are oppressed by injustice, he is justice; if you are in need of help, he is strength; if you fear death, he is life; if […]
Posted inVatican Dispatch
Pope Leo calls on leaders to ‘bridge the gap’ between poor and rich in Equatorial Guinea
On the second day of his visit to Equatorial Guinea, a predominantly Catholic country of 1.8 million people in central Africa, Pope Leo XIV issued an unequivocal call to authorities “to serve the common good rather than private interests, bridging the gap between the privileged and the disadvantaged.”
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Pope Leo tells inmates ‘you are not alone’ during Equatorial Guinea prison visit at end of Africa tour
After Leo left, the drenched inmates broke into a raucous dance party in the courtyard as the rain continued to pour, shouting “Libertad! Libertad! Libertad!” (Freedom, freedom, freedom).
Posted inVatican Dispatch
Pope Leo remembers ‘the great gift’ of Pope Francis on the first anniversary of his death
Pope Francis “has given so much to the church, with his life, his witness, his words and his gestures,” Pope Leo said on the plane from Angola to Equatorial Guinea.
Posted inVatican Dispatch
Pope Leo tells Angola’s Catholic leaders: ‘Never cease to denounce injustices.’
On the evening of his last full day in Angola, Pope Leo XIV told the leadership of the Catholic Church in this predominantly Christian country, “Your loyalty to Angola—as it should be throughout the world—is today particularly linked to the proclamation of peace.”
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Pope Leo to Angolans: ‘Build a country where old divisions are overcome forever’
He told them: “Only in this way will a future of hope be possible, especially for the many young people who have lost it.”
Posted inNews
Pope Leo in Angola: ‘Put the common good before partisan interests’
In his first speech on arrival in Luanda, the capital of Angola, Pope Leo called on the state authorities to “put the common good before partisan interests, never confusing your part for the whole.”
Posted inVatican Dispatch
Pope Leo preaches on hunger to 120,000 at Mass in Cameroon
Pope Leo drew attention to the food crisis and the poverty that is causing great suffering for so many people, even though the land is rich in agricultural and other resources.