Vatican in modern Africa (on the 50th anniversary of the pope Paul VI’s pilgrimage to Uganda)

The article is devoted to identifying the role of the Vatican in the formation of the Catholic space within the African continent. A century ago, the focus of the Vatican’s policy was primarily on the problems of Europe, since most of the adherents of Catholicism were concentrated in this part of the world. However, at the beginning of the 21^st century, about 70% of Catholics lived in the developing countries of Latin America, Africa and Asia. The spatial transformation of the Catholic world was caused, on the one hand, by a wide diffusion of the secularization in the European countries and a drop in their population birth rate; on the other - by the success of Catholic missionaries in developing countries combined with the high birth rate characteristic of their population. In this regard, the attention of the Vatican, starting from the second half of the 20^th century, began to increasingly focus on the countries of the Global South - including African countries, although Catholicism is not the dominant religion on the Black Continent. The regional policy of the Roman Catholic Church in Africa is mostly characterized by the geography of papal visits to the countries of the continent, which have become one of the most effective means of political influence of the Vatican. The basis of the Holy See’s policy towards African states at the present stage is to ensure the functioning of the structures of the Catholic Church, protect its freedom and independence, strengthen its influence among the existing flock and attract new adherents. Among the most important activities of the Vatican in Africa are humanitarian issues: the establishment and maintenance of peace, social justice and respect for human rights. Not less important direction of the Vatican policy in Africa is the strengthening of the Islamic-Catholic dialogue, which is based on the discussion and solution of the following issues: problems of freedom of conscience and religion; the political situation in the Middle East and North Africa in the context of functioning of the Christian communities and Christian shrines in these regions; problems associated with the migration of Muslims to European countries and the provision of assistance to refugees; religious and legal issues caused by the growth of Muslim communities in European countries; opposition to religious fanaticism and fundamentalism. At the same time, it is too early to speak of a clear positive shift in solving the political and socio-economic problems of Africa. Thousands of Africans set off to seek a better life in developed countries, which creates serious problems and contradictions for the Vatican, as emigration contributes to the weakening of Catholicism on the continent. Contribution of the authors: the authors contributed equally to this article. The authors declare no conflicts of interests.

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