Violet Riquelme
Pope Leo XIV landed in Angola at 2:45 p.m. to continue his apostolic journey in Africa.
This is the third county he has visited, and he was welcomed upon his arrival.
In Luanda, the Angolan capital, Pope Leo met with the President of the Republic, authorities, and the diplomatic corps.
Amid ongoing sorrow, Pope Leo offered condolences to the victims of the heavy rains in Benguela, where 40 people died.
POPE LEO XIV
I would like to express my praers for the victims of heavy rains and the flooding that have affected the province of Benguela, and to express my closeness to the families who have lost their homes.
Angola’s economy relies is highly dependent on oil and diamonds. In Pope Leo’s speech, he emphasized the suffering caused by their mismanagement.
POPE LEO XIV
I mentioned the material wealth that powerful interests hoard, even here in your country—how much suffering, how many deaths, how many social and environmental disasters this exploitation of resources brings.
To offer a message of hope, the Pope stressed that sadness and fear can be driven by despots and tyrants. His words were aimed to heal Angola’s current social struggles and past civil war.
POPE LEO XIV
Despotic and tyrannical figures, both in body and in spirit, seek to render souls passive and fill them with sorrow— inclined to inertia, compliant and submissive to power. In sadness, we are at the mercy of our fears and fantasies.
To conclude his speech, Pope Leo XIV expressed confidence in Angola’s future and called for a shared commitment. With the Catholic Church as a partner—and Angolan music as a backdrop—he gave his blessing to the third African nation to welcome the successor of Peter.
