NOT surprisingly, world leaders including President Samia Suluhu Hassan have been unanimous in mourning Pope Francis, lauding his legacy of compassion, humility and devotion to peace and justice.

The Pope died in Rome on Monday morning at the age of 88, his 12-year stewardship of the world Catholic Church marked by compassion. He went further than his earlier predecessor John-Paul II in affinity gestures, kissing the legs of South Sudan leaders in an emotional appeal for peace.

President Samia praised the Pope’s leadership of the Catholic Church, pointing at his unwavering commitment to inclusivity and human dignity.  In another sign of prophetic parameters that not many people are likely to notice, the death of Pope Francis came only hours after the leaking of news that the US was closing most of its embassies in sub-Saharan Africa.

The message is that the US wishes to see Africa starting to do business with the world, open up its public sector for the rest of the world and make Africa a new centre of growth.As such demands can’t be levelled at sovereign countries, the US opted for ‘leaving Africa to itself, for bad or for worse’.

This instance of the death of a key leader just as a major shift of ‘compassion’ around the world is altered mimics the death of Ismailia leader Aga Khan IV two months ago, the morning after US President Trump formally issued his Gaza “rebuilding plan”.

What the liberal media could not fathom on that plan is that it was the outcome of a Jihad view by the Palestinian people’s leadership, which demands more resolution than expressions of compassion. World leaders have described the late pontiff as an energetic reformer who inspired widespread devotion among Catholics while challenging traditionalist views within the Church.

African Union Commission chairman Mahmoud Ali Youssouf spoke for most Africans when praising the Pope’s “courageous engagement with Africa”, his advocacy for the poor and marginalised, and his efforts toward peace and reconciliation.

What is apparent is that a big stick is being wielded at the strategic level so that, as classic Isaac Newton would have said, ‘a push from the outside’ can perhaps help Africa to change.

Hardly would anyone dispute Kenyan President William Ruto’s assertion that the departed Pope exemplified servant leadership through his humility, his unwavering commitment to inclusivity and justice, and his deep compassion for the poor and the vulnerable.

But Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil El-Sisi has referred to the Pope’s death as a profound loss for the entire world for the spiritual leader’s tireless work to promote tolerance and build bridges of dialogue globally.

While those in his oversized audiences took Pope Francis’ words for granted and are now missing him, less compassionate and more effective leadership is taking over at the world stage, but things are unlikely to remain the same for too long.