Pope Benedict is visiting Cameroon and Angola in an effort to foster hope and reconciliation ahead of the Africa Synod to be held at the Vatican later this year.
It’s his first visit to Africa as Pope, although he did visit the continent – the Democratic Republic of Congo – as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in 1987. This is the third Papal visit to Cameroon – the second to Angola. The Holy Father’s predecessor, Pope John Paul II visited Cameroon in 1985 and 1995 and Angola in 1992.
Cameroon is reported to have five million practicing Catholics of its 17 million population. Angola has some 8.6 million Catholics from a population of 16.5 million.
The meeting of African Bishops in Rome is scheduled for October will have the theme “The Church in Africa at the Service of Reconciliation, Justice and Peace.”
