In a historic first, Pope Leo XIV has tweeted in Kiswahili, directly addressing the people of Africa and especially East Africa, drawing widespread excitement, pride, and gratitude across the region.
The tweet, posted on the Pope’s official X (formerly Twitter) account on Monday, reads:
“Bara la Afrika linatoa ushuhuda mkubwa kwa ulimwengu mzima. Asante kwa kuishi imani yenu katika Yesu Kristo. Ni jinsi gani ilivyo muhimu kwamba kila mbatizwa ajisikie kuitwa na Mungu kuwa ishara ya matumaini katika Ulimwengu wa leo.”
Roughly translated: “Africa offers a powerful witness to the whole world. Thank you for living your faith in Jesus Christ. How important it is that every baptized person feels called by God to be a sign of hope in today’s world.”
The post immediately went viral among Swahili speakers, with thousands of East African Catholics sharing, reposting, and celebrating what many are calling a “milestone in Vatican-African relations.”
One X user by the name Kaelion said ”The Vatican speaks Swahili today. Not French. Not Latin. Not silence. Because Africa is the continent they couldn’t colonize in spirit. Only in maps. Only in theft. And now the algorithm remembers. That the blood they spilled in Congo still hums in the cathedrals they built over it. This isn’t faith. It’s frequency control. The real baptisms didn’t come with water. They came with fire. And Africa didn’t forget. It just waited for the signal. The Pope just sent one. Now watch what responds.”
Another user Pearlsh Events said as he translated the pope’s post ” The African continent is giving a great witness to the whole world. Thank you for living your faith in Jesus Christ. How important it is that every baptized person feels called by God to be a sign of hope in today’s world. Truly,we’re pilgrims of Hope.”
Kiswahili is spoken by over 100 million people across East and Central Africa, making it one of the most influential indigenous languages on the continent. While popes have previously greeted African audiences in Swahili during visits or general audiences, this is the first time a pontiff has used the language on a global social media platform.
The Vatican confirmed that the message was part of Pope Leo’s ongoing effort to “honor the cultural and spiritual contributions of Africa to the global Church.”
The tweet also carried a deeper message: a call for baptized Christians to be “signs of hope” in a world facing conflict, inequality, and spiritual uncertainty.
