Pope Leo XIV on Monday began the first-ever papal visit to Algeria, launching an 11-day African tour with a mission to promote Christian–Muslim coexistence, honour the legacy of St. Augustine, and mark a historic outreach to a predominantly Muslim nation.
Leo’s two-day stop in Algeria opens his broader journey across four African countries — Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea — a trip seen as central to the first U.S.-born pope’s efforts to strengthen the Catholic Church’s presence in Africa while advancing interfaith dialogue.
“Peace be with you,” Leo said repeatedly, as the Vatican underscored the theme of reconciliation and religious harmony that will define the visit.
The pope arrived at Algiers’ Houari Boumédiène International Airport on Monday, where he was received by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune ahead of a scheduled meeting at the El Mouradia presidential palace.
Leo’s visit comes amid heightened global tensions, including the U.S.–Israeli conflict with Iran, which has added political weight to his diplomatic mission. Ahead of the trip, President Donald Trump criticised the pontiff in unusually sharp terms, saying he did not think Leo was “doing a very good job,” calling him “a very liberal person,” and suggesting he should “stop catering to the Radical Left.”
The pope responded during the flight to Algeria, saying the Vatican’s message of peace was rooted in the Gospel and that he was not intimidated by political pressure, including from the Trump administration.
In Algiers on Monday, Leo was expected to address Algerian authorities, visit the Great Mosque of Algiers, and later attend a gathering at the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa, where testimonies from a Catholic nun, a Pentecostal believer and a Muslim speaker were scheduled alongside his remarks. He will also pray at a nearby memorial for migrants who died in shipwrecks attempting to reach Europe.
The basilica, a Roman-Byzantine structure built during French colonial rule in the late 19th century, has become a symbol of interfaith coexistence. Its archbishop, Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, noted the daily interaction between faiths.
“On any given day, nine out of 10 people who visit the basilica are Muslim,” Vesco said. “It’s wonderful to be able to show that we can be brothers and sisters together, building a society despite our different religions.”
He added that the Church in Algeria had long embraced this mission: “And that is what our church has been doing since this country gained independence.”
Algeria, a country of about 47 million people, is overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim, with a tiny Catholic community of roughly 9,000, mostly foreign residents. While the constitution allows religious practice outside Islam, proselytizing to Muslims is illegal, and several Christian denominations have faced restrictions, including church closures.
The United States has placed Algeria on a religious freedom watch list, citing concerns over “severe violations of religious freedom.”
For some residents, the papal visit is a symbolic moment but not necessarily a guarantee of change.
“I imagine it’s a good thing that a pope is visiting Algeria,” said Selma Dénane, a student in Annaba. “But what will it change afterward? Will Christians be able to say, ‘I am a Christian’ without fear or stigmatization?”
Leo’s visit also carries historical resonance in a country marked by trauma. During Algeria’s civil war in the 1990s — the “black decade” — an estimated 250,000 people were killed, including 19 Catholic religious figures.
Among them were seven Trappist monks from Tibhirine, abducted and killed in 1996, as well as two nuns from Leo’s Augustinian spiritual tradition.
On his first day in the country, the pope was expected to honour the 19 martyrs and meet Augustinian nuns who continue social work at the Algiers basilica, serving people of all faiths.
“They gave their lives for God, for Jesus, for the church, for the Algerian people because they didn’t want to leave the country, even in the difficult moments,” said Sister Lourdes Miguelez.
Boluwatife Enome
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