Pope Leo XIV has embarked on an ambitious 11-day tour of four African countries, urging global leaders to address the continent's needs, where over a fifth of the world's Catholics reside. This visit underscores Africa's growing significance within the Catholic Church, with Vatican statistics highlighting its demographic weight.
The first American pope commenced his journey with a two-day stop in Algeria on Monday, proceeding to Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea in a whirlwind itinerary covering 11 cities and towns across nearly 18,000 km via 18 flights. This tour is among the most complex arranged for a pontiff in decades, facilitated by Pope Leo's relatively young age of 70 and robust health.
A key objective of the trip is to further "build bridges between the Christian and Muslim worlds," as Archbishop of Algiers Jean-Paul Vesco told AFP. Pope Leo XIV will visit the Great Mosque of Algiers—featuring the world's tallest minaret—and the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa, while offering private prayers in a chapel dedicated to 19 priests and nuns murdered during Algeria's 1992-2002 civil war.
Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni indicated that the pope will deliver 25 speeches over 11 days, touching on topics such as exploitation of natural resources, Catholic-Muslim dialogue, and the perils of political corruption. He is also expected to address corruption in often authoritarian regimes and the role of political leaders. Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, whose presidents have held power for decades, have faced accusations of human rights abuses, which they deny.
The tour's highlight is likely a mass in the coastal city of Douala, Cameroon, on Friday, with an anticipated attendance of 600,000. Africa contributed more than half of the 15.8 million new Catholics baptized globally in 2023—8.3 million—transforming the continent from a recipient of Western missionaries into an exporter of priests and nuns. Angola and Cameroon consistently rank among the top producers of seminarians in Africa annually.
Source: www.aljazeera.com