Pope Francis welcomed the Vice President of Ghana, Africa to the Vatican for a private meeting on Wednesday before his general audience.
The two exchanged gifts and highlighted the strong relations between Ghana and the Holy See, but also touched on the health and education issues that the African country is facing.
While Ghana’s economic growth is improving, poverty and access to education draw divides within society. Oxfam International reports that a girl from a poor family is 14 times more likely never to have been to school than one from a rich family.
Catholicism is also experiencing serious decline within the country. Last year, the President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference announced that the number of Catholics in the country had fallen from 15 per cent in 2000 to 10 per cent in 2021.
Pope John Paul II was the first and so far, only pope to visit Ghana. He travelled there in 1980, just five years after the Vatican established official diplomatic relations with the country.