LIBREVILLE —The sun was just rising over Libreville when the first songs broke out in Sainte-Marie Cathedral. “Alleluia! Alleluia! Come forth, the Lord, Christ is alive!” sings the congregation. Despite the celebration of the Resurrection, the faces are sad under the fans stirring up the hot, humid air.
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In this large white and blue church, the faithful are praying for Pope Francis, several days after he died on Easter Monday.
“It was a shock. We were in the middle of celebrating the joy of baptisms when the news came. Everyone cried out in sadness,” recounts Father Godefroy. For him, as for many here, Pope Francis was a spiritual father, a man of God close to the humblest: “He lived in simplicity and humility, he refused splendor. He spoke from his conscience and his heart.”
Since his election in 2013, Argentina’s Jorge Mario Bergoglio, renamed Francis, had placed Africa at the heart of his pontificate. He made five trips to the continent, visited 10 countries, delivering fiery speeches against corruption, economic neo-colonialism and the misery imposed by decades of international plundering.
He has consistently invited Africa to take its destiny into its own hands, appointed more cardinals from the continent, and encouraged parishes to develop rites rooted in local cultures, notably in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“He came to the Central African Republic during the war, he prayed with Muslims, he blessed the victims in Congo. He said that Western countries should take their hands off Africa,” recalls Bernice Marie Wilma, in charge of pilgrimages at Sainte-Marie. “He made no distinction of race or condition. He received us at the Vatican, and blessed all the churches of Central Africa through us.”
Hope for an African pope
This strong bond between the Pope and Africa is felt by many here. “He knew where he came from. He came from a Southern country, and he knew what poverty and exclusion meant,” said parishioner Gaëtan Misso. “He gave us all the same status before God. He was a true pastor.”
In Gabon, where he appointed the current archbishop, and more widely in Africa, his acts left a lasting impression: his visit to Bangui during the war in 2015, his message of peace in Congo, his visit to the Italian island of Lampedusa to support migrants… “He said that Africans should benefit from their own resources, and that people ought to be allowed to decide for themselves,” recalls Sister Madeleine, a nun from Gabon. “He didn’t judge, he had compassion and brought people together.”
The emotion runs deep. The words come back again and again: “humility”, “courage”, “justice”. Everyone also emphasizes his simplicity, his concern to support everyone, without distinction, including the most disadvantaged.
“I really liked Pope Francis. He was the first person I heard speak of Africa with such love. He saw our suffering, he didn’t pretend,” said Jeannette Mengué, a regular parishioner. “He went everywhere, even to the slums. He embraced everyone. He will be very much missed.”
Incomprehension over the blessing of same-sex couples
As the conclave draws nearer, Africa is keeping a close eye on the debates and wondering about the possibility of an African pope. “I’ve heard of the Guinean Robert Sarah and the Ghanaian Peter Turkson. It would be a marvel, a joy,” said Wilma.
Church leaders, for their part, refuse to reduce the choice of pope to a mere geographical origin. “We will welcome the new pope with joy, whoever he may be,” said Father Godefroy. “But the Church needs to be reassured about its foundations. The next pontiff must be clear, unambiguous and faithful to the Christian faith.”
Indeed, Francis’ relationship with Africa had been overshadowed by a dark spot. His approval of the blessing of same-sex couples was totally incomprehensible to the clergy, so much so that the Cardinal of Kinshasa, Fridolin Ambongo, who presides over the continent’s Bishops’ Conference, refused to accept it. The Pope agreed that the publication in question, Fiducia Supplicans, would not be aimed at Africans. Nevertheless, the conservative rebellion against what was perceived as a Western issue left a stain on the Vatican’s relationship with Africa under his pontificate.
Father Jean Davy Ndangha Ndong, theologian and the Cathedral’s parish priest, puts things into perspective: “Francis was the pope who embodied the spirit of the Second Vatican Council. He took the Church outside its walls and reached out to the peripheries,” he said. “What matters is not the symbol of an African pope, but what this pope will bring. We’re not looking for a progressive or a traditionalist, but a true pastor.”
Mass is over. On the cathedral forecourt, the faithful still linger, while others quickly leave to go to work. The “pope of the poor” has left this world, “but he will remain with us and in our prayers for a long time to come,” says Bernice Marie Wilma.
