Eight public speeches, seven Masses, and eleven African cities: this will be Pope Leo XIV's trip across Africa. A marathon of meetings, celebrations, and visits that the Vatican has already made public.
His first stop will undoubtedly be one of the most special moments. The Augustinian pope could not miss Algeria, where the founder of his Order, Saint Augustine of Hippo, once lived. In fact, Pope Leo made this clear some time ago…
POPE LEO XIV
Personally, I hope to go to Algeria to visit the places connected with the life of Saint Augustine and to continue promoting dialogue and the building of bridges between the Christian and Muslim worlds.
It is estimated that less than 1% of the population of Algeria is Catholic, and the Pope will meet with this community at the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa. He will also visit the Djamaa el Djazair, one of the largest Islamic places of worship in the world.
Pope Leo will also stop at the Maqam Echahid, dedicated to those who died during the Algerian War of Independence against France.
The trip will then continue to Cameroon, a country that has both French and English as its official languages and where roughly one third of the population is Catholic. Pope Benedict XVI visited the country in 2009.
There, Pope Leo will focus on meetings with political and Church authorities and will visit an orphanage, promoting the protection and education of the most vulnerable children. He will also go to the St. Paul Catholic Hospital, highlighting the Church’s social work.
Pope Leo will also pray for peace, holding a meeting and celebrating a Mass at the international airport—a strong message in a country where internal conflicts are still persistent.
The penultimate country of the trip will be Angola, also previously visited by Pope Benedict XVI, a Portuguese-speaking nation with a Catholic majority.
There, Pope Leo XIV will pray the rosary at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Muxima, one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in the country and a symbol of Catholic faith and pastoral care for the whole community.
His trip will conclude in Equatorial Guinea, where nearly 90% of the population is Catholic. Pope Leo XIV will meet with the university community and figures from the cultural world, as well as visit a psychiatric hospital.
In this country, the pontiff will also visit Bata Prison, which has often been criticized over their treatment of their prisoners. Another striking visit will take place when the Pope goes to the monument dedicated to the victims of the Bata Explosions, in which around 100 people died and about 500 were injured.
Pope Leo is also reviving a tradition of Pope Francis. In every country he visited, Pope Francis met with the local Jesuit community. In this case, the Augustinian Pontiff will do the same, but with members of the Order of Saint Augustine.
BAM / CA
