Vatican City
Pope Leo XIV is set to become the first pontiff to visit Algeria, marking a historic moment aimed at promoting interfaith dialogue and peaceful coexistence in the Muslim-majority North African nation.
The visit begins Monday as part of an 11-day African tour covering Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea. In Algeria, where Islam is the state religion and about 99 per cent of the population is Muslim, the 70-year-old pope is expected to focus on themes of dialogue, tolerance, and shared human values.
Officials said the trip also carries deep personal significance for the pontiff, who draws spiritual inspiration from Saint Augustine, a key Christian theologian born in present-day Algeria. The pope, a member of the Augustinian order, has often described himself as a “son of St Augustine.”
During his visit, he is scheduled to meet President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, address state authorities and diplomats, and visit major religious landmarks including the Great Mosque of Algiers. He will also hold private prayers for Catholic figures killed during Algeria’s civil conflict in the 1990s.
No public mass gatherings are planned in the capital, and the traditional popemobile will not be used. Instead, engagements will remain more formal and diplomatic in nature.
The visit comes amid global concern over religious coexistence, with Vatican officials emphasising dialogue between Christianity and Islam. Human rights groups, however, have urged the pope to raise concerns about religious freedom restrictions affecting minorities in the country.
In Annaba, the pope is expected to celebrate mass near sites linked to Saint Augustine, underscoring the historical and spiritual connection between Algeria and early Christianity.
