Pope Francis, the current leader of the Catholic Church has just concluded his papal visit to several African countries. Each of the countries that he visited – Kenya, Uganda, and the Central African Republic (CAR) – has substantial Christian populations. This article, titled “Jesus Has Found a Home Here: The Rise of Catholicism in Africa” by Conor Gaffey for Newsweek, describes the increasing prevalence and resurgence of Catholicism in African countries. Gaffey writes, “There has also been an explosive growth in the number of Catholics in Africa over the past 35 years. The world’s Catholic population has grown by 57 percent since 1980, according to a June report by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University.” In addition, he points out that, “this growth is not uniform: Africa’s Catholic population has shot up by 238 percent in that period, compared to just a 6 percent increase in the European Catholic population” and that this could be due to variations in fertility rates. Overall, this is an interesting article that details the prevalence of Christianity in a continent largely influenced by Islam.
Source(s): http://www.newsweek.com/jesus-has-found-home-here-rise-catholicism-africa-399114
Possible Final Questions:
1) How did each of the colonial powers assert their influence on their colonies (i.e. British indirect rule vs. French assimilation)
2) Compare and contrast how Christianity played a role in "Things Fall Apart" vs. "The River Between."
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