Pope Francis' visit highlights explosive growth of Catholic Church in Africa



http://edition.cnn.com/2015/11/25/africa/africa-pope-francis-trip/index.html#
When Pope Francis begins his inaugural papal trip to Africa, he'll bring a message of hope and peace to a rapidly growing Catholic population facing its own challenges.
The Pope's visit starts Wednesday in Kenya, followed by stops in Uganda and the Central African Republic -- the latter a lawless conflict zone as Christian and Muslim gangs attack civilians for a second year.
His visit, which takes place despite the instability, highlights the Catholic Church's explosive growth in Africa and how crucial the region is to the church's future, experts say.
Africa's Catholic population is growing faster than any other in the world, and is expected to skyrocket in the coming years, said Bill O'Keefe, a vice president atCatholic Relief Services, a church-affiliated U.S. humanitarian group that does work in Africa. The Catholic population there (Africa) has grown by 238% since 1980 and is approaching 200 million," he said, attributing the numbers to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate.
    "If the current trends continue, 24% of Africans will be Catholic by 2040," he added.

    'Unifying gesture'

    Aside from visiting a region that will shape the face of the Catholic Church, the Pope's plan to stop at a mosque in the Central African Republic sends a powerful message, experts say.
    "The Holy Father is intentionally reaching across religious lines that have been used by elites and factions in the Central African Republic to try to divide the population," said O'Keefe.
    How Pope Francis is shaking up the church
    "It is a unifying gesture to visit mosques and a way of modeling behavior for Central Africans of all faiths."
    In the Central African Republic, a Muslim rebel group overthrew the Christian president two years ago, prompting reprisal attacks against civilians by both Christian and Muslim militia. Those attacks continue to this day, and have displaced hundreds of thousands of people.

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