During his recent visit to booming churches in Africa, Pope Leo XIV sounded warnings to Catholics tempted to embrace pieces of other religions, including sorcery and superstition.

Consider, he said, biblical accounts of throngs following Jesus because of his miracles and healings.

"The crowd sees Jesus as means to an end, a provider of services. If he had not given them something to eat, his actions and teachings would not have interested them," said the pope, during an April 20 Mass at Saurimo in Angola. "This happens when genuine faith is replaced with superstitious practices, in which God becomes an idol that is sought only when it is advantageous to us and only for as long as it is. …

"Even the motivation of the crowd is inadequate: they were not seeking a teacher whom they love, but a leader to applaud for their own advantage."

The pope's warnings about syncretism -- mixing beliefs and practices from clashing faiths -- were important since many Catholics in Africa are surrounded by tribal religions, Islam and "health and wealth" forms of Pentecostal Christianity. Still, Africa's conservative Catholic churches are growing faster than those on any other continent, according to Vatican statistics.

However, the pope's remarks were timely for another reason.

Recently, a 1995 photograph surfaced showing Father Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo, at an "eco-theology" event in Brazil that included references -- in words and symbols -- to "Pachamama," an Andean fertility goddess, or "Mother Earth." Some Catholics flashed back to a 2019 controversy, a Vatican synod of Pan-Amazon bishops with an event featuring a pregnant "Our Lady of the Amazon" statue, which Pope Francis later described as "Pachamama."

These photos of the future pope may be important, but Catholics will need to see how Leo responds, said Mark Lambert, writing for the conservative Catholic Unscripted website. Ultimately, what matters is how the pope addresses the first of the Ten Commandments, "You shall have no other gods before me."