Pope Leo XIV spent 11 days in Africa from April 13\u201323 and visited Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea.<\/p>\n
Pope Leo XIV recently completed an 11-day trip visiting the faithful in Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea. With stops in 11 cities across those countries, the Holy Father met with the youth, political leaders, prisoners, families, and many more to share the Gospel message.<\/p>\n
Here are seven powerful moments from Pope Leo\u2019s trip to Africa:<\/p>\n
1. Moving visit to the land of St. Augustine<\/p>\n
Pope Leo XIV traveled from Algiers to Annaba \u2014 ancient Hippo \u2014 in what for the Augustinian pontiff amounted to a return to the roots of his faith and vocation.<\/p>\n
After a flight of about an hour, the pope arrived in the city most closely associated with St. Augustine, who served as bishop of Hippo from 396 to 430.<\/p>\n
Despite pouring rain, the pope walked through the ruins and, at the end of the route, laid a wreath of flowers and stopped for a moment of prayer, visibly moved.<\/p>\n
A visibly moved Pope Leo, who calls himself \u201ca son of Saint Augustine,\u201d prayed among the ruins of Hippo in Annaba, Algeria, where the great Doctor of the Church served as bishop and shepherd for more than 30 years until his death. This may be one of the pope\u2019s most personal\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/79Y1Ya5O9h<\/p>\n
2. Visit to the Great Mosque of Algiers<\/p>\n
While in Algeria, the pope visited the Great Mosque of Algiers (Djamaa el Djaza\u00efr), often referred to as the \u201cMosque of Algeria.\u201d Featuring the world\u2019s tallest minaret \u2014 rising approximately 265 meters (about 870 feet) \u2014 and ranking as the third-largest mosque after those in Mecca and Medina, the monumental complex can accommodate up to 120,000 worshippers.<\/p>\n
Pope Leo visited the Great Mosque of Algiers (Djamaa el Djaza\u00efr), often referred to as the \u201cMosque of Algeria.\u201d Featuring the world\u2019s tallest minaret\u2014rising approximately 265 meters\u2014and ranking as the third-largest mosque after those in Mecca and Medina, the monumental complex\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/ARO3rORmrA<\/p>\n
The tradition of popes visiting mosques began with Pope John Paul II, who in 2001 became the first pope in history known to have entered a mosque when he visited the Great Mosque of Damascus in the capital of Syria.<\/p>\n
Pope Leo addressed criticism directed toward him on April 15 on board the papal plane after leaving Algiers bound for Cameroon.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the visit to the mosque was significant [and showed] that although we have different beliefs, we have different ways of worshipping, we have different ways of living, we can [still] live together in peace,\u201d the Holy Father said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that to promote that kind of image is something which the world needs to hear today,\u201d he said, arguing that such visits show that \u201ctogether we can continue to offer in our witness as we continue on this apostolic voyage.\u201d<\/p>\n
3. Joy-filled children welcome Pope Leo in Cameroon<\/p>\n
Pope Leo XIV was welcomed by the songs and dances of children at the Ngul Zamba Orphanage in Yaound\u00e9, Cameroon.<\/p>\n
\u201cDear children, I know that many of you have endured difficult trials. Some of you have known the pain of loss through the death of parents or loved ones. Others have experienced fear, rejection, abandonment, deprivation, and uncertainty. Yet, you are called to a future that is greater than your wounds. You are bearers of a promise,” the pope said.<\/p>\n
Run for 40 years by the religious congregation the Daughters of Mary, the Ngul Zamba Orphanage \u2014 whose name means \u201cStrength of God\u201d \u2014 provides food, lodging, and education to poor or abandoned children.<\/p>\n
In another heartfelt moment, at the end of the afternoon Mass in Bamenda, Cameroon, as the pope was preparing to leave the airport and get into his car, a little girl ran up to hug him. This spontaneous gesture, amid the joy and emotion of the 20,000 present, captured the hearts of millions around the world.<\/p>\n
4. Rosary gathering at the Mama Muxima Shrine<\/p>\n
While in Angola, Pope Leo took part in a rosary gathering at the Marian shrine of Mama Muxima.<\/p>\n
The shrine, whose name means \u201cMother of the Heart\u201d in Kimbundu, is one of Angola\u2019s best-known Marian sanctuaries. Built by the Portuguese in the 17th century on a hill overlooking the Kwanza River, it has long been a place of pilgrimage and prayer for Angolan Catholics.<\/p>\n
The crowd in attendance erupted into applause when the Holy Father spoke in Kimbundu, a Bantu language spoken in Angola.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cMama Muxima, tueza koku\u00e9, Mama Muxima, tutambulul\u00e9,\u201d which means: \u201cMother of the heart, we come to you; Mother of the heart, receive us.\u201d<\/p>\n
You can tell the crowd had been waiting for this. During his apostolic trip to Africa, Pope Leo has already shown off his English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish \u2014 but this afternoon he unlocked a new language: Kimbundu, a Bantu language spoken in Angola.He said: \u201cMama Muxima,\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/dympWkGF6E<\/p>\n
5. Pope Leo visits psychiatric hospital<\/p>\n
The Holy Father visited the Jean-Pierre Oli\u00e9 Psychiatric Hospital in Equatorial Guinea. With its six pavilions, it represents a major development in the treatment of mental illness in Equatorial Guinea, where psychiatric disorders were historically neglected. Founded in 2014, it is the country\u2019s first modern center of its kind and has become a symbol of the national commitment to integrating patients into society.<\/p>\n
The event included songs, dancing, and testimonies from both the hospital\u2019s director and a patient, Pedro Celestino Nzerem Koose. A moving poem by a former patient was also recited.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhenever I visit a hospital, I have mixed feelings: on the one hand, I feel sorrow for the patients and their families. On the other, I admire and am comforted by all that is done there each day to serve human life,\u201d the pope said in an address delivered in Spanish. \u201cI feel the same way here, but today, I find \u2014 and I hope the same is true for you \u2014 that joy prevails. It is the joy of meeting in the name of the Lord and of caring for those who are in frail health.\u201d<\/p>\n
A former psychiatric patient turned poet, writes Pope Leo XIV a poem:\u201cOh Holy Father, representative of the divine, your presence is of great joy.For you drive away every evil and give strength to the soul.And in great humility, we show reverence\u2026 and in our elevation, we\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/PNHHTxzEf4<\/p>\n
6. Pope Leo visits a prison<\/p>\n
The pope paid a visit to the Bata penitentiary in Equatorial Guinea and told inmates that \u201cno one is excluded from God\u2019s love\u201d and urged them to see that even behind bars, there remains the possibility of change, reconciliation, and hope.<\/p>\n
This local prison is one of the country\u2019s harshest and long known for difficult detention conditions.<\/p>\n
One of the more than 600 inmates thanked the pope for his visit and support.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wish to thank you for your visit and your support,\u201d the prisoner said. \u201cYour presence reminds us of the importance of faith and redemption. We ask for your blessing to keep moving forward and to come out of this as better people. We are grateful for your compassion and for your message of hope.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the most powerful moments of Pope Leo XIV\u2019s Africa trip: his visit to Bata Prison in Equatorial Guinea, where hundreds of inmates greeted him with songs and begged for prayers\u2014for mercy and for freedom. Not even the pouring rain could dim this encounter. Pope Leo gifted\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/S0yQodvDqN<\/p>\n
7. The final Mass in Africa<\/p>\n
Pope Leo XIV celebrated the final Mass of his Africa trip at Malabo\u2019s stadium, urging the Church in Equatorial Guinea to continue proclaiming the Gospel \u201cwith passion\u201d and to bear witness through lives shaped by faith, service, and solidarity.<\/p>\n
The Mass in the stadium, where about 30,000 faithful were expected, marked the pope\u2019s last major public event in Equatorial Guinea, the fourth and final African nation on his 11-day journey.<\/p>\n
After riding through the crowd in the popemobile, Leo began Mass amid flags, songs, and colorful hats, with music and dance accompanying the liturgy.<\/p>\n
The Holy Father also prayed before an image of Our Lady of Bisila, mother and patroness of Equatorial Guinea.<\/p>\n
Clothed in white and blue, carrying the child Jesus on her back in the traditional African way, the Virgin of Bisila shows a mother who walks with her people in every struggle and hope. According to local tradition, she appeared to a humble Bubi woman on Bioko Island in the early 20th century (exact year is not clearly attested), and love of her grew until she became the beloved icon of the nation\u2019s Marian devotion.<\/p>\n
Pope Leo prayed before this beautiful image of our Our Lady of Bisila, Mother and Patroness of Equatorial Guinea. Clothed in white and blue, carrying the Child Jesus on her back in the traditional African way, the Virgin of Bisila shows a Mother who walks with her people in\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/aip7iGmKpq<\/p>\n
Denne artikel blev oprindeligt udgivet af EWTN News English.<\/p>\n