Pope Leo XIV commemorated the first anniversary of the death of his predecessor, Francis, as he addressed worshippers in Equatorial Guinea on Tuesday.

The pontiff paid tribute to his predecessor’s commitment to the most vulnerable and marginalised groups in society.

As he flew from Angola to Equatorial Guinea, Pope Leo said Francis had given “his witness, his words, and his gestures. He did so by truly living closeness to the poorest, to the least, to the sick, to children, and to the elderly.”

In tribute, Pope Leo said, “Let us thank the Lord for the great gift of Francis’ life to the whole Church and to the whole world.”

As Pope, Francis headed the Catholic Church from 2013 to 2025.

He died aged 88.

The current pope, who was the curia cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, a U.S. and Peruvian citizen, was then elected to succeed him.

Equatorial Guinea is the final stop on the pope’s 11-day tour.

Africa is one of the regions of the world where the Catholic Church is growing.

There are currently around 290 million Catholics living on the continent, and this could rise to more than 700 million by the end of this century, forecasts suggest. (dpa/NAN)