Pope at the general audience: Africa trip, ‘an immeasurable treasure for my heart and my ministry’
Leo XIV spoke about his apostolic visit, "a message of peace" amid "wars" and "violations of international law,” an opportunity for “African peoples [. . .] to make their voices heard”, “strengthening bridges" in Algeria, and “countering the various forms of neo-colonialism” in Cameroon. In Angola, hope can resist the “empty promises of the powerful." The pope also mentioned the song by prisoners in Bata praising God.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – Pope Leo XIV spoke this morning at the general audience in St Peter's Square, summing up his apostolic trip to Africa from 13 to 23 April that saw him visit Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea.
Making this journey was a dream he had “Since the very beginning of my Pontificate”. It was “a message of peace at a moment in history marked by conflicts and serious and frequent violations of international law”. Yet, in a festive atmosphere and warm welcome, “I too experienced something of what happened to Jesus with the crowds in Galilee,” Leo said.
In front of 25,000 people in St Peter's Square, the pontiff thanked the bishops, authorities, and everyone who contributed to the organisation.
The visit, he noted, provided “African peoples, a chance to make their voices heard, to express the joy of being God’s people and the hope for a better future, of dignity for each and every one.”
The pontiff said he was “glad” for the opportunity to let these voices speak, those that are on the margins of politics and Western media narrative. “I thank the Lord for what they have given me, an immeasurable treasure for my heart and my ministry,” he said.
The pontiff also retraced some of the most significant moments of the journey that ended last week. Starting with Algeria, a Muslim-majority country.
Closely associated with Saint Augustine, the North African country offered "A testimony that is more important than ever today for Christians and for every person”.
Leo XIV, the first Augustinian pope, found himself " revisiting the roots" of his "spiritual identity”, which provided the opportunity for “strengthening bridges that are very important for the world and the Church today,” with the "very fruitful age” of the Church Fathers, the Islamic world, and Africa.
After Algeria, Leo travelled to three predominantly Christian countries, where he found himself “immersed in an atmosphere of celebration of the faith and warm welcome, enhanced also by the characteristic traits of the African people.”
Cameroon was a place to “reinforce the call to work together for reconciliation and peace," given extant tensions and violence, especially in the country’s English-speaking region. In Bamenda the pope encouraged peace efforts.
But Cameroon is also "Africa in miniature," given the variety and wealth in resources. For Leo, this means “that the great needs of the entire continent are found in Cameroon: the need for a fair distribution of wealth; the need to provide space for the young, overcoming endemic corruption, that of promoting integral and sustainable development, countering the various forms of neo-colonialism with far-sighted international cooperation.”
In Angola Leo XIV met a country “with a centuries-long Christian tradition, linked to Portuguese colonization”, but prostrated by a very long civil war. Yet, “I felt the beating heart of the Angolan people. And in the various meetings I rejoiced to see so many men and women religious of every age, a prophecy of the Kingdom of heaven in the midst of their people”.
People danced at the “rhythm of songs of praise to the Risen Lord”, experiencing “the foundation of a hope that withstands the disappointments caused by ideologies and the empty promises of the powerful,” Leo explained. Such “hope demands concrete commitment, and the Church has the responsibility [. . .] to recognize the rights of all and to promote their actual respect.”
Finally, in Equatorial Guinea, the pope marked 170 years since the first evangelisation, leaving with unforgettable memories from the prison of Bata, where “the prisoners sang at the top of their voices a song of thanksgiving to God and to the Pope, asking him to pray ‘for their sins and their freedom’.”
“I had never seen anything like it. And then they prayed the ‘Our Father’ with me in the pouring rain,” he said today. Such a meeting was “A genuine sign of the Kingdom of God!”
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25/02/2026 18:14
