Residents of Uganda’s Gomba District have expressed astonishment following the birth of a baby boy on February 1, who reportedly clutched a medal of Saint Anthony of Padua soon after birth. News spread quickly, drawing crowds eager to witness what many described as an extraordinary event.
Calls have since emerged for religious and medical authorities to investigate and report on the incident.
In the field of medicine, there are what we call primitive reflexes, where newborn babies grasp whatever they touch. So, the possibility exists that this medal was left in the birthing room and was grasped reflexively by the infant.
At the same time, some Catholic faithful interpret the event through a religious lens, seeing it as potentially miraculous. The Catholic Church, however, is not rushing to make such a declaration. Historically, the church subjects alleged miracles to lengthy and rigorous investigations.
These developments in Africa come at a time when Pope Leo XIV faces significant challenges within the church. The church is facing a schism involving traditionalist clergy linked to the Priestly Society of St Pius X (SSPX) and declining Catholic affiliation in Latin America, according to a Pew Research Center report on January 21. As a result, Africa —where Christianity continues to grow—may become an increased focus of papal attention.
In December, the Pope expressed his desire to visit Algeria this year, particularly sites associated with St Augustine, the fourth-century bishop of Hippo (present-day Algeria). The Pope is a member and former leader of the Augustinian order, which traces its roots to Augustine’s teachings.
Augustine’s writings shaped Western philosophy and Christian theology. His major works include The City of God, a cornerstone of Christian thought; On Christian Doctrine, which addresses biblical interpretation; and Confessions, a spiritual autobiography recounting his conversion.
In 2001, Algeria hosted an international conference titled “St Augustine: Africanity and Universality.” Journalist François Vayne noted that Augustine should be seen “as part of Algeria’s cultural heritage—great philosopher—not solely as a Christian figure.”
But African scholars have always been a source of original philosophical and Christian thought.
Eusebius’ History of the Church, a fourth-century book, mentions Mark, the author of the gospel, being sent to preach in Egypt. By the second century, figures such as Pantaenus led the Catechetical School of Alexandria. Clement, one of the most important Christian intellectuals of the 2nd-3rd Century AD, wrote books of biblical interpretation. His student, Origen, followed his example. Books they wrote are the earliest systematic treatments of the Christian religion.
Christianity is often known as a European-centred religion, but Alexandria was the place where Christianity was systematised and formalised.
Christian scholar Willem Oliver writes, “Christianity started out as a “sect of Judaism” in Jerusalem, but “Alexandria was the most important root for the theology of Christianity …”
Why then isn’t Christianity known as an African religion?
TC Oden writes in his 2007 book, How Africa Shaped the Christian Mind, “Africa played a decisive role in the formation of Christian culture … This is a fact that has been ignored by scholars …”
So, while Jesus of Nazareth lived and taught in Roman Judea (modern-day Middle East), within decades of his death, Christianity had already taken root in Africa, especially in Egypt and North Africa. This resulted in one of the earliest and most influential Christian centres, the Catechetical School of Alexandria in the 2nd century AD. Alexandria shaped how Christians understand the Bible, theology, education, and ethics.
Influential figures, meanwhile, include Athanasius of Alexandria, who was a defender of the belief that Jesus is fully divine, Cyprian of Carthage, who helped define core Christian doctrines, Anthony the Great, who was the founder of Christian monasticism and Pachomius, who created communal monastic life—the model later adopted across Europe.
Core Christian doctrines were debated and defined in Africa, not Europe. Christianity only later spread north into Europe through the Roman Empire. Christianity is not a European invention. From its earliest centuries, Africa was central to shaping the Christian faith.
Speaking in Rome on January 27 at an event organised by the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, François Vayne suggested that a papal visit to Algeria could also help address historical wounds linked to colonialism. The church, he said, was long perceived in Algeria as tied to French colonial rule, and a visit could open space for reconciliation.
Beyond this, Pope Leo’s visit to Africa should move past reparations, symbolism and conversion metrics to explicitly acknowledge the profound intellectual debt Christianity owes to African thinkers who shaped the faith as it exists today.
