Pope Leo XIV to make historic first visit to Algeria

Pope Leo XIV will travel to Algeria in April, marking the first time a pontiff has visited the North African nation, the Vatican announced, as reported by FRANCE 24 on February 25th.

The visit, scheduled for April 13th to 15th, will include stops in Algiers and Annaba and forms part of a broader African tour that will also take the pope to Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea.

The Algeria leg of the trip carries particular symbolic weight. The country is the birthplace of St Augustine, one of Christianity’s most influential thinkers and the patron saint of the Augustinian order, to which Leo belongs. Founded in the 13th century, the order follows the teachings and spiritual legacy of the fifth-century theologian.

Although Islam is Algeria’s state religion, the constitution provides for freedom of worship, subject to official approval of places of worship and religious leaders. Vatican officials suggest the visit will centre on interfaith dialogue, reflecting efforts to strengthen ties between Christians and Muslims in the region.

The trip also comes three decades after the killing of seven French Trappist monks during Algeria’s civil war in the 1990s, an event that remains a painful chapter in the country’s recent history.

Following Algeria, Leo will visit Cameroon from April 15th to 18th, with stops in Yaounde, Bamenda and Douala. He will then travel to Angola from April 18th to 21st, visiting Luanda, Muxima and Saurimo, before concluding the African tour in Equatorial Guinea between April 21st and 23rd.

The Vatican indicated that the pope is expected to emphasise peace and dialogue during his visits to Cameroon and Angola, both of which continue to experience separatist conflicts.

The April tour will be one of Leo’s most extensive international trips since his election last year, underscoring the Vatican’s renewed diplomatic focus on Africa, where Catholic communities are growing rapidly despite political instability and security challenges in several regions.

Before travelling to Africa, Leo is also set to visit Spain, including the Canary Islands, a key entry point along the Europe migration route, as well as Monaco in the coming months.

FRANCE 24 with AFP, Maghrebi.org