How God has blessed Africa?

As an African myself I believe that we have been blessed by God in the very beginning.

Before our ancestors realised that the Holy Spirit was really in place, God has used the Roman Catholic Church to spread his word across the African continent very early even before other faiths went in there.

The Congo

Kinshasa (Congo)

I am from Congo in Central Africa; its full name is the Democratic Republic of Congo and it is the third-largest country on the continent of Africa.

The river Congo flows through much of the country, it is the fifth-longest in the world and the second-longest river in Africa.

The northern half of the Congo is covered by a huge rainforest, the second-largest in the world. It lies on the equator, the invisible line that encircles the earth.

The Congo is very rich in natural resources but one in three people is very poor .

Roman Catholic in Congo

More than 60 million people live in the Congo and half of the Congolese people are Roman Catholic. The Archdiocese of Kinshasa is the largest in the country.

The church owns and manages some of the hospitals, schools and clinics. Its schools have educated over 60% of the nation’s primary school children and more than 40% its secondary students. I was one of them.

However from the perspective of the church, evangelisation is still the primary goal; to spread the word of God across the nation. The number of converts baptized is still the measure of its success.

As an African Catholic in Pimlico

I am Andre, married with children. I work in public transport as a bus driver, one of my best ever presents as a driver was the holy Bible from a passenger.

Congolese Priest outside the church in Kinshasa

My wife and I moved to Pimlico some time ago. As we both have a catholic background, we decided that a catholic school was good for our children. When they joined The Westminster Cathedral School, we discovered at the same time about The Holy Apostles Church which we joined and became regular members. Through the church God has built my confidence, from school to where I am now. I meet catholics of different nationality and I feel welcome!

Andre Matufa