Vatican City, May 17, 2019 / 14:05 pm
Pope Francis spoke to African-based missionaries gathered at the Vatican on Friday, applauding their efforts to show compassion to the continent's most vulnerable.
The Society of African Missions was received by the pope at the Consistory Hall of the Vatican Apostolic Palace.
The order has been in Rome for its General Chapter, taking place at the Vatican from April 30 to May 24. The theme of this year's meeting is "A family faithful to its missionary charism in today's complex and changing context."
The pope commended the order's dedication to its communal life, which he said leads to greater acts of charity toward the suffering victims on the "peripheries" of society, especially in the rural populations where the Christian faith is fragile.