Pope Leo XIV on Monday begins his most ambitious trip since becoming head of the Catholic Church, travelling across four African countries with a focus on peace, inequality and interfaith dialogue.
The 70-year-old will cover more than 18,000 kilometres across Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea – delivering 11 speeches and presiding over seven masses before returning on 23 April.
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From conflict and human rights to migration and corruption, the US-born pontiff is expected to address a range of issues during a visit that comes at a time of global uncertainty linked to the Middle East war and its economic impact.
It will be his third trip outside Italy since his election in May, after visits to Turkey and Lebanon last year, and Monaco in March.
Historic Algeria visit
Leo will become the first pope to visit Algeria, where Islam is the state religion.
He is due to meet President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, visit the Great Mosque of Algiers and travel to Annaba, home of Saint Augustine, where he will meet members of the Augustinian order. He is also expected to pay tribute to migrants killed in shipwrecks trying to reach Europe.
“The pope is a brother who comes to visit his brothers,” Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, the archbishop of Algiers, told French news agency AFP.
Leo will also pray privately for 19 priests and nuns killed during Algeria’s 1992-2002 civil war, known as the Black Decade.
Ahead of the visit, three international NGOs called on Pope Leo to raise concerns about the treatment of religious minorities with Algeria’s authorities.
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Peace focus in Cameroon
In Cameroon, the pope is expected to focus on peace and reconciliation, particularly in the conflict-hit, English-speaking northwest of the country.
He will lead a “peace meeting” and hold a mass in Bamenda, the centre of the violence, under heavy security.
“To see His Holiness Pope Leo XIV arrive in Cameroon, for us who are Catholic Christians, it further strengthens our faith, it further strengthens our ties with our God,” Simon Pierre Ngombo, a Catholic worshipper, told the Associated Press.
“It is a perfect moment to touch each other’s hearts.”
Leo will also meet with President Paul Biya, 93, one of the world’s longest-serving heads of state, and visit hospitals, schools and charities run by the Catholic Church.
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Inequality in oil-rich Angola
In Angola, the Pope is expected to address poverty and corruption in a country rich in oil and minerals but marked by deep inequality, after a long civil war that ended in 2002.
He will visit the capital Luanda, where wealthy neighbourhoods sit alongside vast slums, and travel to Muxima, one of the holiest sites in southern Africa.
He is expected to call for a more equitable distribution of wealth from natural resources.
However, not everyone believes the pope’s visit will benefit ordinary Angolans.
“At the societal level, it represents nothing, because millions of dollars will be taken from the state treasury to prepare, without bringing any benefits to our country,” Rosa Kanga, a 42-year-old teacher, told AFP.
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Balancing act in Equatorial Guinea
The final leg of the tour in Equatorial Guinea will see Pope Leo meet President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who has ruled since 1979.
Around 80 percent of the country’s population is Catholic, but only one pope has visited before now – nearly half a century ago.
The visit is expected to require a careful balance between supporting local Catholics and avoiding any perception of backing the government.
Many expect the pope to address human rights and social justice in the country.
In Malabo, large images of the pontiff have been displayed across the city, with state television broadcasting coverage of the visit ahead of his arrival.
(with newswires)
