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Pope Leo XIV arrived in Algeria on Monday at the start of an 11-day tour of Africa, the longest trip so far of his papacy, which began less than a year ago.<\/p>\n
The head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics is due to visit Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea after his stop in Algeria.<\/p>\n
In a meeting with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, both sides underlined their willingness to strengthen cooperation between Algeria and the Vatican.<\/p>\n
Tebboune described the papal visit as “historic,” according to state news agency reports.<\/p>\n
The president highlighted dialogue, peace and tolerance as shared values, and pointed to Algeria’s commitment to social justice.<\/p>\n
Referring to international conflicts, particularly in the region, he called for an end to violence, greater humanitarian support for civilians and recognition of a Palestinian state, stressing the importance of peace and cooperation in addressing global crises.<\/p>\n
Leo was also scheduled to visit the Great Mosque in the capital Algiers.<\/p>\n
No pope has previously visited Algeria, a predominantly Muslim country of nearly 47 million people, of whom only about 9,000 are Catholic.<\/p>\n
But the country holds special significance for Leo, as St Augustine of Hippo was born there in the 4th century. The pope has been a member of the Augustinian order for almost 50 years and previously served as its global head.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, Leo is due to travel to Annaba, formerly known as Hippo, where Augustine served as bishop.<\/p>\n
From Algeria, the pope will continue to Cameroon from Wednesday to Saturday, followed by Angola until April 21 and Equatorial Guinea until April 23.<\/p>\n
Africa has been a frequent destination for recent popes. John Paul II visited the continent 15 times, while Francis made five trips.<\/p>\n
The continent is home to around 290 million Catholics \u2014 more than in Europe \u2014 and accounts for about 20.3% of the global Catholic population, making it one of the fastest-growing regions for the Church.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n