Pope Leo XIV arrived in Algeria on Monday, beginning an 11-day tour of four African countries: Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea.
He is the first-ever leader of the world’s Catholics to visit the Muslim-majority country of Algeria. The Archbishop of Algiers, Jean-Paul Vesco, told AFP the visit aims to help “build bridges between the Christian and Muslim worlds.” Vatican officials say the pope will focus on peace, migration, the environment, young people and the family during the trip.
Algeria holds particular personal and historical significance. This is the first papal visit to the country, where a small Catholic community of about 9,000 people—mostly foreigners—lives among a predominantly Muslim population of some 47 million. Ahead of the pope’s arrival, AFP reported Algiers was spruced up with repainted walls, repaved roads and planted green spaces.
The visit honors the legacy of Saint Augustine, the 4th-century theologian born in what is now Annaba, formerly the Roman city of Hippo. Leo has been a member of the Order of St. Augustine for nearly 50 years and served as its head from 2001 to 2013. Before becoming pope, he visited Algeria twice as leader of the order. In his first speech as pope, Leo described himself as a “son” of Augustine, whose writings he often cites.
The pope will pay tribute to victims of Algeria’s War of Independence against France (1954–1962) at the Martyrs Memorial overlooking Algiers. That conflict claimed hundreds of thousands of lives; official Algerian figures estimate 1.5 million dead, most of them civilians and fighters. While the Algerian constitution recognizes “religions other than Islam” and allows worship within public order limits, rights groups say repression persists. Last week, three human rights organizations urged the pope to address such issues during his visit.
At 70 years old, Pope Leo will travel some 18,000 kilometers across 18 flights in 11 days. The Vatican expects him to speak on corruption, authoritarian rule and the responsibilities of political leaders; the presidents of Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon have both been in power for decades. The countries he will visit are major producers of oil and minerals, including gold and diamonds, yet large segments of their populations remain impoverished and many face conflict and instability.
In Cameroon, authorities expect large crowds—about 600,000 people are due to attend one of Leo’s Masses. He will also take part in a “peace meeting” in the northwestern city of Bamenda, an Anglophone region plagued by separatist violence. Migration to Europe is also expected to be a prominent theme of the trip; migration was a key issue when the pope visited Spain in June, a main entry point for African migrants by sea.
Africa continues to be the fastest-growing region for the Catholic Church. The continent accounted for more than half of the 15.8 million people baptized into the Catholic Church in 2023, and more than 288 million Catholics were recorded in 2024. The Church in Africa faces challenges, including cultural norms such as polygamy, which conflict with Catholic doctrine that marriage is a monogamous, lifelong union between one man and one woman. Ethnic rivalries also complicate the appointment of bishops in diverse regions; in some cases, nominations have been rejected by priests or the faithful.
By comparison, John Paul II visited Africa 15 times during his pontificate, while Pope Francis traveled to the continent five times.
Edited by: Louis Oelofse