Pope Leo XIV will begin his first pastoral visit to Africa on 13 April, embarking on a 10-day journey across four countries in what the Vatican describes as a significant moment for the Church on the continent.
The Pope will travel to Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea from 13 to 23 April, marking his first visit to Africa since his election.
In Cameroon, he is expected to visit the capital Yaoundé, the commercial centre Douala, and Bamenda in the troubled Northwest region, where an armed conflict has persisted for nearly a decade.
The visit will also make history in Algeria, a predominantly Muslim nation that has never before received a papal visit. The country holds particular significance for the pontiff as the birthplace of St Augustine of Hippo. Before his election, Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, belonged to the Augustinian order and had expressed his desire to travel to Algeria, calling for deeper interfaith dialogue.
Though this will be his first pastoral trip to Africa as pope, he is familiar with the continent, having previously visited countries including Kenya and Tanzania.
Africa is home to around 20 per cent of the world’s Catholics, underlining its growing importance in the life of the Church.
Earlier this year, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, Archbishop of Kinshasa and President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), indicated that a papal visit was being planned.
“When the Pope visits a country, especially countries in crisis like ours, it is also to give hope to the people, especially people who are suffering,” he said in an interview with Vatican News following a meeting with the Holy Father.
The African tour follows Pope Leo XIV’s first foreign journey to Turkey and Lebanon late last year, where he appealed for peace and reconciliation in the Middle East.
The last papal visit to Africa took place in February 2023, when his predecessor, Pope Francis, travelled to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.
The Vatican says a detailed programme of events will be released in due course.
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