POPE Leo XIV has begun a landmark visit to Algeria in the first trip to the Muslim-majority country by a pontiff.
The United States-born pope arrived in the capital Algiers yesterday, an AFP news agency journalist travelling aboard the papal plane said.
He paid tribute to victims of Algeria’s war of independence from France (1954-1962) later in the day.
The 70-year-old pontiff is on an ambitious 11-day tour of four countries in Africa, urging global leaders to address the needs of the continent where more than a fifth of the world’s Catholics live, according to Vatican statistics.
Algeria, however, is an overwhelmingly Muslim country with fewer than 10,000 Catholics among its population of some 48 million people. This is the first time it will host a Catholic pope.
The trip is aimed at continuing to “build bridges between the Christian and Muslim worlds”, the archbishop of Algiers, Jean-Paul Vesco, told AFP.
Likely topics include exploitation of natural resources, Catholic-Muslim dialogue, and dangers of political corruption, said Bruni.
Yesterday’s itinerary included a visit to the Great Mosque of Algiers, with the world’s highest minaret, and the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa, overlooking the Bay of Algiers.
Leo plans to pray privately in the chapel dedicated to 19 priests and nuns murdered during Algeria’s 1992-2002 civil war. He will not, however, visit the Tibhirine monastery, whose monks were kidnapped and murdered in 1996, an event still shrouded in mystery.
In a related development, a separatist alliance in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions said it would observe a three-day “safe travel passage” this week to allow civilians and visitors to move freely during a visit by Pope Leo.
The pope left on Monday for a tour of four African countries, Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea, aiming to urge global leaders to address the continent’s challenges. Africa is home to more than a fifth of the world’s Catholics.
A simmering conflict between secessionist militias and government troops has killed thousands in the English-speaking west of Cameroon since 2017.
In a statement sent to Reuters, the group said its forces had been instructed to ensure a secure environment for civilians, pilgrims, visiting dignitaries, the Holy Father and his entourage. –Reuters
Follow our WhatsApp Channel now! https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAjG7g3gvWajUAEX12Q
