The pope’s tour through Africa last month cemented the continent as key to Catholicism’s future — but it is not even the fastest-growing form of Christianity there, and soon may not be the biggest.
The number of Catholics in Africa grew about fivefold from 1975 to 271 million last year, but numbers of Pentecostals and those of “charismatic faith” increased more than 10 times to 252.3 million.
The latter group is more decentralized and draws believers with a “prosperity gospel” promising wealth via faith. Africa’s Catholic leaders have not been impressed: “Today, a lot of humans are thirsting for God, but that thirsting is not always fulfilled in the best way,” one bishop told The Washington Post.