Pope Leo XIV kicks off historic visit to Algeria as part of Africa tour

Pope Leo XIV has begun a landmark visit to Algeria, marking the first time a pontiff has traveled to the Muslim-majority country. The US-born pope arrived in the capital, Algiers, at around 09:00 GMT on April 13, Al Jazeera reports.

The 70-year-old pontiff is undertaking an 11-day tour across four African nations, aiming to draw global attention to the continent, which is home to more than a fifth of the world’s Catholics, according to Vatican statistics.

Despite Algeria’s overwhelmingly Muslim population of around 48 million, with fewer than 10,000 Catholics, the visit is being framed as a step toward strengthening interfaith relations. The archbishop of Algiers, Jean-Paul Vesco, said the trip is intended to “build bridges between the Christian and Muslim worlds.”

Following his two-day stay in Algeria, Pope Leo will travel to Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea, visiting 11 cities and towns and covering nearly 18,000 kilometres across 18 flights. Unlike Algeria, the three sub-Saharan nations have populations in which more than half identify as Catholic.

Leo, who has emerged as a vocal critic of the US-Israeli war on Iran, has made limited overseas visits since his election last May, including trips to Türkiye, Lebanon and Monaco.

The Vatican said the pope is expected to address a wide range of issues in 25 planned speeches, including natural resource exploitation, interfaith dialogue and political corruption. “Likely topics include exploitation of natural resources, Catholic-Muslim dialogue, and dangers of political corruption,” Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni said.

During his time in Algiers, Leo is scheduled to visit the Great Mosque of Algiers—home to the world’s tallest minaret—and the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa. He will also pray privately in a chapel dedicated to 19 clergy members killed during Algeria’s 1992–2002 civil war.

A major highlight of the trip is expected in Cameroon, where around 600,000 people are anticipated to attend a mass in Douala.

Africa continues to play a growing role in global Catholicism, contributing more than half of the 15.8 million people baptized in 2023, with 8.3 million new Catholics from the continent alone.

By Vafa Guliyeva