Pope Francis Denounces ‘Colonialist Mentality’ Toward Africa Ahead of Planned Trip

Pope Francis is set to embark on a one-week trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan later in January. The visit, which will be Francis's fourth to the African continent since becoming Pope in 2013, was originally scheduled for July 2022 but was postponed for health reasons.

Pope Francis has criticized the "colonial mentality" practiced by the international community towards the African continent, arguing that Africa has historically been exploited and the specter of exploitation is still hovering over it presently.

“There is a historical, geographical reality. In Italian it is said 'Africa va fruttata', that is, Africa is meant to be exploited. And that is a kind of colonialist mentality that remains,” said Francis.

The Pope’s remarks came a week ahead of his planned trip to the African continent that includes the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan.

Francis named two reasons standing behind the continuance of such attitude toward African.

“[It] is a problem of our attitude and of not yet [having the] courage of total independence on their part,” the Pope said.

While admitting that “Africa is in turmoil” amid ongoing conflicts in many parts of the continent, Francis pointed out that the world’s fastest growing continent is “also suffering from the invasion of exploiters.” He also pointed to “tribalism” as one of the biggest problems still to be dealt with by the African nations.

“Tribalism is also very strong, for example to appoint a bishop in a diocese, one has to look carefully, that he belongs to the group – not to say tribe,” he said.

Pope Francis recalled the crowd shouting, “No to tribalism” during his 2015 visit to Kenya, saying, “It was a scream from the whole stadium. They themselves feel that difficulty, it is a people that is consolidating itself more and more in freedom.”

The pope is expected to arrive in the capital of Congolese Kinshasa on January 31 for a three-day visit before heading on February 3 to neighboring South Sudan, where he is planned to close his trip on February 5.

Francis’s visit to the DRC and South Sudan will mark the pope’s fourth trip to the African continent since being appointed in 2013. In his first trip to Africa, the Pope visited Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic in 2015.

The second trip saw the Holy Father visiting Morocco in 2019, before paying a third visit to the continent in the same year, with Mozambique, Madagascar and Mauritius as his destinations.