Pope Leo XIV Begins Historic First Papal Visit to Algeria

Apr 13, 2026

Pope Leo XIV began an historic 11-day, four-nation tour of Africa on Monday, marking the first-ever papal visit to Algeria where he called for forgiveness while paying tribute to victims of the country's independence war against France. The 70-year-old pontiff, the first pope from the order following St Augustine's teachings, will travel nearly 18,000 km across Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea, delivering around 25 speeches to a continent where over 288 million Catholics—more than a fifth of the global total—reside. The tour includes a Mass for peace in Bamenda, Cameroon, epicenter of a nearly decade-long conflict that has killed at least 6,000 people and displaced over half a million, and visits to Angola and Equatorial Guinea where Catholics comprise 40-55% and over 70% of populations respectively.

Pope Leo XIV's historic 11-day Africa tour itinerary and significance

▪Pope Leo XIV will celebrate Mass with some 200,000 faithful in Angola
▪More than 70% of people in Equatorial Guinea identify as Catholic
▪Pope Leo XIV's Africa tour includes stop-offs in 11 cities across four countries: Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea
▪More than a fifth of the world's Catholics are in Africa, totaling some 288 million people according to 2024 figures
▪Pope Leo XIV will travel nearly 18,000 km during the Africa tour on 18 flights
▪Between 40% and 55% of Angola's population identify as Catholic
▪Pope Leo XIV will deliver around 25 speeches during the Africa tour

Religious dialogue and interfaith relations in Algeria

▪Algeria is the birthplace of St Augustine, a 4th Century North African theologian

Conflict, peace, and social justice themes across the African nations

▪Angola experienced decades of bloody civil war between the mid-1970s and 2002
▪President Teodoro Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea has been in power for almost 50 years
▪The presence of the Catholic Church in Angola dates back to the late 15th Century when Portuguese explorers and missionaries arrived along the Angolan coast
▪Ernestine Afanwi is a 45-year-old woman who fled Bamenda after her house and shop were destroyed