Pope Leo XIV on Monday, 13th April, begins an 11-day pastoral visit to four African countries, Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea, marking his first major international tour since becoming head of the Catholic Church last year
During the trip, the 70-year-old pontiff is expected to address a wide range of issues, including interfaith dialogue with Islam, peacebuilding, inequality, and human rights, while travelling more than 18,000 kilometres across the continent.
Leo, who assumed leadership of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics in May, is scheduled to deliver 11 speeches, preside over seven masses, and visit more than a dozen locations before the tour concludes on April 23.
The visit comes at a time of global uncertainty linked to the Middle East conflict and its economic ripple effects, adding greater attention to the pope’s messages and engagements.
The pontiff will begin the tour in Algeria, becoming the first pope to visit the North African nation where Islam is the state religion.
While in the capital, he will tour the Great Mosque of Algiers and hold talks with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
He will also travel to Annaba to meet members of the Augustinian order, the religious community to which he belongs, in the city once home to Saint Augustine.
From Algeria, the pope will travel to Cameroon, where peace and reconciliation are expected to dominate discussions.
Leo will also visit hospitals, schools, and charitable institutions run by the Church in Cameroon, where about 37 percent of the country’s 30 million residents are Catholic.
During the visit, he is scheduled to meet President Paul Biya, one of the world’s longest-serving leaders, who has faced criticism from some clergy over his prolonged rule.
In Angola, a country rich in oil and minerals but burdened by widespread poverty, Leo is expected to highlight themes of social justice and equitable wealth distribution.
The final leg of the tour will take Leo to Equatorial Guinea, where nearly 80 percent of the population is Catholic but the country has long been ruled by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo since 1979.
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