Washington, D.C. Newsroom, 14 July, 2024 / 9:00 pm (ACI Africa).
The U.S. Catholic bishops’ Solidarity Fund for the Church of Africa is bolstering the needs of faithful Catholic communities across the African continent and helping them to meet their challenges.
In a recent statement from the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops’ (USCCB) Office of Public Affairs, the bishops said: “Catholics across the United States can answer this call to ‘Stand with Africa’ by participating in their diocese’s annual collection for the Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa.”
Though plagued with various difficulties such as poverty, lack of resources, and political conflicts, Africa’s growth and vitality in Catholicism has made the continent a focal point in the Church’s expansion and future aspirations.
According to an October 2023 Vatican report covering the year 2021, the Catholic population of Africa consisted of 265 million, or 18%, of the continent’s population. Whereas Europe has seen declines in its Catholic population, Africa’s Catholic population continues to expand in many places.
“Globalization, climate change, and poverty deeply affect the lives of African men and women every day. But amidst rapid societal change, the Catholic Church remains constant, proclaiming the timeless and hopeful message of the Gospel,” stated Auxiliary Bishop Peter Smith of Portland, Oregon, chairman of the bishops’ Subcommittee on the Church in Africa.
