Mariusz Boguszewski, Rafał Pokrywiński (eds.), Catholic Church in selected African countries. Historical-pastoral perspective, Pelplin: Bernardinum 2021.

The Catholic Church in Africa is the part of the universal Church that is developing very dynamically. The remarkable historical heritage, the proximity of the missionary period and the present situation overlap to form an interesting subject for pastoral research. The book contains a series of articles on the Catholic Church in Africa, presenting the ecclesial situation in selected countries from a historical-pastoral perspective, allowing one to become acquainted with places and data that would otherwise be difficult to access for the European and Polish reader. The articles have a similar structure: they begin with a historical introduction, usually concerning the history of the missions in a given country, and then proceed downward, presenting a more detailed history of the diocese or ecclesiastical province in question. This is not only a starting point, but also a reference to the patrimony of faith, which, even when the conditions of the Church have changed, remains a foundation and a constantly valid point of reference. This is followed by a description, often including statistical data from a particular ecclesiastical province or diocese, together with the pastoral structure: the various commissions and the implemented pastoral strategies.

Open access: https://www.academia.edu/49304375/