Representatives of the Catholic Church in Africa is set to receive Holy Father, Pope Francis as he makes his first visit to the continent, hoping that his visit would strengthen the faith of the people in the church as a family of God.

Pope Francis is expected to visit Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic from November 25, according to a communique made available to CEOAfrica after the Standing Committee of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), which held its Bi-annual meeting from November 16 to 20, 2015 at the SECAM Secretariat in Accra, Ghana.

The communique read: "We call on all the people of our continent and on all our governments to commit themselves to the sustenance of African families, and protect the fundamental values of our cultures. We reiterate our commitment also to the sustenance and promotion of the institutions of marriage and the family and confirm our unshakeable belief in the sanctity of human life. We pray for the success of the Holy Father's visit and for God's abundant blessings

"We strongly denounce the terrorist attacks, in Nigeria, Kenya, Libya, Burkina Faso, Mali, Lebanon, France and other pafts of the world, which have claimed numerous innocent lives and brought sorrow and pain to many families and their countries."

The representatives also "enjoined the governments and all concerned competent authorities to create the conducive environment for the restoration of peace in the troubled locations in the continent."