©️picture : France 24
Vatican City, February 25, 2026.- Pope Leo XIV attended the Ash Wednesday Mass at the Basilica of St.Sabine in Rome on February 18, 2026, before announcing an African tour from April 13 to 23, which will include Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea.
According to the Vatican, the Supreme Pontiff will visit Algiers and Annaba from 13 to 15 April; Yaoundé, Bamenda and Douala from 15 to 18 April; Luanda, Muxima and Saurimo from April 18-21; and Malabo, Mongomo and Bata from April 21-23. It will be his third international visit since his election in May 2025 and the first of a pope in Algeria.
This Algerian visit, a Muslim-majority country where Islam is a state religion, aims to strengthen interreligious dialogue and to honour the memory of Saint Augustin (354-430), native to the Souk Ahras region and bishop of Hippo, now Annaba. It coincides with the 30th anniversary of the assassination of the Cistercian monks of Tibhirine, abducted and killed in 1996 during the civil war. Beatified in 2018, their memory highlights the importance of religious coexistence and peace in the region.
Pope Leo XIV will also take advantage of his visit to Cameroon and Angola to call for peace and stability in countries facing political crises and popular protest movements.
W.E.
