The pontiff leaves Algeria today to travel to Cameroon, the second stop on his apostolic journey to Africa. The testimony of a young woman who grew up in Italy and chose to be present in Algiers to experience this historic event alongside her people. “In the crowd, everyone was saying: it’s a sign of unity between Christians and Muslims. We’ve seen that change happens in a subtle but real way.”
The Augustinian pope is the first pontiff to visit the birthplace of the Bishop of Hippo. This morning, he visited the home of the Little Sisters of the Poor, saying that God's heart is with the "humble," not the "arrogant”. In the Basilica of St Augustine, he said that the Christians of Algeria bring “joy and comfort to so many brothers and sisters.” The Church is a “welcoming bosom for all peoples.” Jesus’s call is “to be born again from above, that is, from God.”
Leo XIV arrived in Algeria, the first time a pontiff has visited the Muslim country, a bridge between Africa and the Mediterranean. In his address, he said that, “peace that is not merely an absence of conflict, but one that is an expression of justice and dignity.” About Algeria he said that, “A nation that loves God possesses true wealth”. For the pontiff, “fundamentalism and secularization” are “absurd polarizations”. Asked about Trump's insults, he said that he would continue “speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel”
The President of the National Assembly in Hanoi presented the Pope with a letter from the President, who is now firmly at the helm of power in Vietnam. It was precisely internal disagreements over the local political balance of power that had slowed down the preparations for the visit, which is so eagerly awaited by the Catholic community. Cardinal Parolin is due to visit soon to establish full diplomatic relations. The possibility of 2027, when the Pope is already expected in Seoul for World Youth Day.
At the Regina Caeli, Leo XIV invoked the "principle of humanity" to "protect the civilian population" from war. He mentioned the peoples of Ukraine, Lebanon, and Sudan. Yesterday, at the vigil in St Peter's, he appealed to political leaders to “Sit at the table of dialogue and mediation, not at the table where rearmament is planned”. He stressed that praying is a “transformative response to death”.
In a reflection sent to AsiaNews on the eve of the prayer vigil for peace called for tomorrow by the Pope – which coincides with the anticipated start of talks between the United States and Iran in Pakistan – the cardinal recalls that peace is not an “external matter”, but “arises from within” and becomes “word, gesture and way of life”. If conscience “is silenced, aggression grows”. The cross “shows that true power is not that which crushes, but that which remains faithful to the truth”.
Speaking at the end of the general audience, Leo XIV said that, “Only through negotiations can we reach an end to the war." He called for "dialogue" to become a tool for conflict resolution around the world. He also renewed his invitation to join a prayer vigil for peace in St Peter's next Saturday at 6 pm. In his catechesis on holiness, he described the latter as a gift that binds every baptised person.
“The despair of death is swept away forever,” Leo XIV said on Easter Monday. Although “fake news” shroud Christian witness, "the truth does not remain hidden”. Proclaiming Easter is giving voice to hope “stifled by the hands of the violent.” Remembering Pope Francis, Leo said that the pontiff who passed away on 21 April 2025 bore “profound witness of faith and love”.
The Pope’s Urbi et Orbi message on the day of Jesus’ resurrection. Against a backdrop where war is felt everywhere this year, the Pope did not mention specific places but invited people to reflect on the ‘true strength’ that reconciles humanity by overcoming indifference. A special prayer vigil for peace has been called, which the Pope will preside over on 11 April in St Peter’s Basilica.
The Pope presided over the traditional Good Friday service, personally carrying the crucifix through all 14 stations. At the end, he recited only the words of a prayer by St Francis, the 800th anniversary of whose death falls this year. The former Custos of the Holy Land, Father Patton, recalled in his meditations that “even those who start a war will have to answer for it before God”.
With the bishops and priests of Rome, the pontiff presided for the first time at the Mass with the blessing of the sacred oils. He reflected upon the "Christian mission," the "very same as Jesus',” characterised by detachment, encounter, and trial. Leo urged priests to feel like "guests," like the "great missionaries” who use “unobtrusive approaches” to reach out to others. He also remembered Saint Oscar Arnulfo Romero, assassinated in 1980 while celebrating the Eucharist.
Leo XIV spoke yesterday at Castel Gandolfo, stressing that Holy Week is a "time of peace," yet today there is “so much suffering, so many deaths, even innocent children.” He urged world leaders to “Come back to the table, to dialogue”, to find solutions. On Good Friday, he will carry the cross in the Via Crucis. In today’s audience, he spoke about the role of the laity, saying that, “we are all called to be missionary disciples”.
In a message released today, the Buddhist leader endorses the pope's appeal on Palm Sunday for nonviolence and disarmament, emphasising the values common to all religions – “love, compassion, tolerance” as the basis for conflict resolution, from the Middle East to Ukraine.
In his homily in St Peter's Square, the pope spoke of “Jesus, King of Peace," who "always rejects violence”. “In his wounds, we see the hurts of so many women and men today,” especially the “victims of war." In the Angelus, the pontiff expressed closeness to the “Christians of the Middle East” who, “in many cases, are unable to observe fully the liturgies” during Holy Week. “Let us also pray for all the migrants who have died at sea,” he said.
Leo XIV travelled to the world's second-smallest state on his first trip outside of Italy in 2026. He called for the 'gift of smallness' to serve justice and peace, reminding the rich city-state that great wealth has an intrinsic need to be redistributed. He encouraged the local Church to advocate for the “forgotten and marginalized.” To young people, he said love “gives stability to life,” urging them “not [to] be afraid to give everything”.
The agreement was signed at the Indonesian embassy to the Holy See in Rome, making Indonesia’s official language the 57th language of the Vatican News portal. The result of persistent diplomatic work, revitalised by Pope Francis's visit in 2024, it represents a new opportunity to bring Indonesian traditions to the world.
A conference in Rome looked at the 1,001 messages the cardinal wrote while imprisoned in Vietnam. They were brought to his family, who had found refuge in Australia, hand-copied by people who later escaped by boat. Declared venerable by Francis in 2017, the cardinal was an extraordinary example of meekness and love for Christ. For Cardinal Tagle: "There was no trace of bitterness or hatred in him." His sister Élisabeth was present; she co-authored a new biography that was published recently.
Leo XIV at the audience: the hierarchical structure – with the episcopate at its highest level – is a “sacred order” founded on the Apostles, “authoritative witnesses of the Resurrection”. To the Polish faithful: “Defend life from conception to its natural end”. Yesterday, at Castel Gandolfo: “Work for peace, not with weapons”.
Pope Leo XIV at the Angelus: ‘dismay’ for regions ‘torn apart by war and violence’. ‘So many defenceless victims: what wounds them wounds the whole of humanity’. To children, in a message to Avvenire: “Cherish the courage to ask for forgiveness, the beauty of making peace”. Commentary on the Gospel: “Jesus calls out to us too, ‘Come out’, to walk in the light of love”.
The Vatican has issued an appeal against investments in activities that harm the environment and people, especially Indigenous peoples. The initiative, supported by 45 organisations, calls on religious institutions to review their use of financial instruments in light of the notion of “integral ecology" proposed by the encyclical Laudato Si'. For Cardinal Fabio Baggio, this is “An act of coherence with our faith, with the defence of human dignity.”
The bishops will meet between 9 and 15 April to choose a new patriarch. The former head will not participate nor vote so as not to "influence" the decision. This ancient Eastern Church, rooted in Mesopotamia, is currently experiencing a period of difficulty due to the exodus and war. The challenges of the last decade include the Islamic State group and the revocation of the presidential decree.
The announcement was made in a message released today on the tenth anniversary of the promulgation of Pope Francis's apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia. The initiative calls for synodal discernment in light of what is being accomplished in local Churches. Let us “learn to evoke the beauty of the vocation to marriage” while acknowledging its fragility. Without families, the Church cannot become “the salt of the earth”.
Some 25,000 faithful welcomed Pope Leo XIV in St Peter's Square for today’s general audience. In his catechesis on the Constitution Lumen Gentium, the pope said that, “every baptized person is an active agent of evangelization”. The Church “cannot err in matters of faith”. May “true peace prevail among all peoples,” the pontiff said in his greetings to Arabic-speaking faithful from the Middle East.
At the Angelus, Leo XIV called for "lasting solutions to the serious crisis" in Lebanon. He expressed his closeness to the loved ones of the "Thousands of innocent people" killed. Many nations are awaiting for peace. In his commentary on the Gospel, the pope said that “faith is an invitation to ‘open our eyes’.” Yesterday, he moved into the papal apartment in the Apostolic Palace, unused by Pope Francis.
During today’s general audience in St Peter's Square before some 15,000 faithful, Leo XIV remembered the Maronite priest killed in an Israeli attack. He “was a true shepherd,” said the pope, who called on everyone to pray for peace in Iran and the Middle East, and for all the civilian victims, especially the children. In his catechesis on Lumen Gentium, he stressed that, “the Church is one but includes everyone.”
Leo XIV returned to the war in Iran and other countries during the Angelus: “Let the noise of bombs cease.” Prayer to Mary for “those who suffer because of war.” On International Women's Day: “Commitment to equal dignity between men and women based on the Gospel.” Commentary on the Gospel: “This is not the time for confrontation.”
Yesterday at Castel Gandolfo, the pope again called for action to "promote dialogue," and find solutions "without weapons" in the Middle East. This morning, he held his audience on Lumen Gentium. The Church is born from "God's plan for humanity”, and “Christ dwells in her and continues to give himself through the smallness and fragility of her members.”
Leo XIV spoke at the Angelus following the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, warning against “the possibility of a tragedy of enormous proportions." He appealed to the parties for a “reasonable, sincere, and responsible dialogue.” On fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan, he expressed hope that harmony may “prevail in all conflicts”. Speaking about the Gospel of the day, he said that “The Redeemer thus transfigures the wounds of history”.
The Holy See has officially announced the pontiff's trip, which includes Algeria (the capital Algiers and Annaba, Saint Augustine’s ancient city of Hippo) as well as Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea. Algeria’s bishops are delighted that a pontiff will visit a country that has also seen Christian martyrs in recent years. For Bishop Carraro of Oran, a PIME missionary, this “visit encourages us”.
Pope Leo XIV calls for a “ceasefire without delay” after the Angelus, while earlier this morning he was in the Roman parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a “neighbourhood presidium” near Termini station, a place of “contradictions”: “So much potential for good and rampant violence”. On Lent: “Let us make room for silence”.
