James O'Reilly
After a 30-minute helicopter ride, Pope Leo XIV arrived in the city of Muxima, Angola, where he was received by the local authorities. The primary purpose of this brief side trip was to visit one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the country: the Sanctuary of Mama Muxima.
Muxima is a municipality in Angola, located in the Quiçama municipality, in the province of Icolo e Bengo. There stands the Sanctuary of Mama Muxima (“Mother of the Heart” in Kimbundu, one of the most widely spoken languages in northern Angola), which built in the 17th century by the Portuguese. It is set on an elevation overlooking the Kwanza River, the largest river in Angola.
For nearly 300 years, this place was a meeting point for enslaved people who were taken to the coast to begin their one-way journey to the American continent.
The sanctuary features a simple architectural style typical of Portuguese design; it was burned down by Dutch colonists in 1641 and later rebuilt and modified.
Here, a very ancient image of the Immaculate Conception is venerated, to which the faithful show great devotion. Each year, from August to September, national pilgrimages are organized, drawing thousands of participants who pay homage to Mary with powerful expressions of faith—walking through the church on their knees and taking part in a moving nighttime candlelit procession.
