Pope Leo XIV has embarked on a 10-day tour of four countries in Africa, in a bid to urge global leaders to address the needs of the continent where more than a fifth of the world’s Catholics live.
Leo’s visit commenced yesterday, with a historic trip to Muslim-majority Algeria.
Meanwhile, United States President Donald Trump, has criticised Pope Leo XIV, calling him “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy”, drawing a sharp rebuke from the head of the Catholic Church.
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Trump delivered the unusual criticism of Leo in a Sunday night post on social media, saying he didn’t “want a Pope who criticises the President of the United States”.
Trump’s outburst appeared to have been triggered by recent remarks from Pope Leo who criticised the US-Israel war on Iran.
It was gathered that Leo is undertaking a whirlwind tour to 11 cities and towns, traversing nearly 18,000 km (11,185 miles) over 18 flights, with visits also to Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea.
The pope is making the visit with a mission “to help turn the world’s attention to Africa”, Cardinal Michael Czerny, a senior Vatican official and close adviser to Leo, revealed.
The pope, who has emerged as an outspoken critic of the Iran war and decried the “madness of war” on Saturday, had made only one major overseas trip since being elected last May, visiting Turkey and Lebanon in November and December. He also visited Monaco in March.
Leo, aged 70, relatively young and in good health for a pope, is undertaking one of the most complex tours arranged for a pontiff in decades.
He and his entourage departed Rome’s Fiumicino Airport shortly after 9 a.m. (0700 GMT), heading for the Algerian capital, Algiers, where he will meet President Abdelmadjid Tebboune before addressing the country’s political leaders.
More than 20 per cent of the world’s Catholics live in Africa, according to Vatican statistics. The three sub-Saharan nations the pope is visiting have populations where more than half identify as Catholic.
Algeria, however, is an overwhelmingly Muslim country, with fewer than 10,000 Catholics among its population of about 48 million people. This is the first time it will host a Catholic pope.
He is expected to touch on many topics in 25 planned speeches over 10 days, Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni told journalists weekend, noting that the four nations faced diverse issues.
“Likely topics include exploitation of natural resources, Catholic-Muslim dialogue, and the dangers of political corruption,” Bruni said.
Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea have presidents who have been in power for decades and have been accused of human rights abuses, which they deny.
The biggest event of the itinerary will likely take place in Cameroon on Friday, when the Vatican said about 600,000 people were expected for a Mass in the coastal city of Douala.
Comfortable in several languages, Leo is expected to speak Italian, English, French, Portuguese and Spanish during the trip.
After addressing Algeria’s political leaders on Monday, Leo will visit the Great Mosque of Algiers–only his second visit to a mosque as pope.
He will travel today to Annaba, on Algeria’s northeast coast, for a visit to the ruins of the ancient town of Hippo.
The site has special meaning to Leo, who is a member of the Augustinian religious order, inspired by the teachings of fourth-century St. Augustine of Hippo, a major figure in the early Church.
As Pope Leo XIV pushes for peace
Pope Leo XIV said the Vatican’s appeals for peace and reconciliation were rooted in the Gospel, adding that he didn’t fear the Trump administration.
“I do not want to get into a debate with him,” Leo said on Monday aboard the papal flight to Algiers, where the first US-born pope is beginning a 10-day tour of four African countries.
“I will continue to speak out loudly against war, promoting peace, dialogue and multilateral relationships among states to find just solutions to problems.”
“Too many people are suffering in the world today. Too many innocent people are being killed. I think someone has to stand up and say there’s a better way, said the Pontiff.
Last week, Leo issued a rare direct rebuke of Trump’s threat to destroy Iranian civilisation, calling it “truly unacceptable”.
On Sunday, the 70-year-old pontiff also implored leaders to end ongoing bloodshed, condemning what he described as a “delusion of omnipotence” fuelling war, comments that appeared directed at Trump.
The pope has also previously questioned the Trump administration’s hardline immigration policies, saying “I don’t know if that’s pro-life.”
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Taking to Truth Social, Trump wrote: “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon. I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela.
“Leo should get his act together as Pope, use common sense, stop catering to the radical left, and focus on being a great Pope, not a politician.”
Trump also claimed credit for Leo’s leadership in the Catholic Church, suggesting the Vatican picked the first US-born pontiff, elected last year, to curry favour with the White House.
“If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican,” Trump said.
Asked about the comments later on Sunday, Trump reiterated that he was “not a big fan” of Leo, who he said “is not doing a very good job”.
“He likes crime, I guess,” Trump said. “He’s a very liberal person.”
Trump also had a rocky relationship with Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, who criticised Trump’s immigration policy proposals when he first ran for president and suggested Trump was “not a Christian”. Trump had called Francis “disgraceful” in early 2016.