Pope prioritises world's fastest-growing Catholic region in major Africa tour

Pope Leo XIV wants to "turn the world's attention to Africa", according to a senior Vatican official, as he embarks on a significant tour of the continent addressing themes of peace, migration and dialogue between religions.

The 11-day trip, which starts on Monday, is Pope Leo's second major foreign visit since being elected to the papacy in May last year, and is a reflection of Africa's increasing importance to Catholicism.

More than a fifth of the world's Catholics are in Africa, some 288 million people, according to figures from 2024. It is one of the fastest-growing regions for the Church.

The Vatican says its latest survey shows a "remarkable increase" in the number of baptised Catholics on the continent.

Little wonder then that the trip is regarded as a personal priority for Pope Leo.

The wide-ranging tour will include stop-offs in 11 cities in four countries: Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea. In all, the Pope will travel nearly 18,000 km (11,185 miles), clocking up most of the distance on 18 flights.

All but one of the countries have large Catholic populations, but he has chosen a non-Catholic country - Algeria - as his first stop, as it holds deep significance for him.

It is the birthplace of St Augustine, and Pope Leo XIV is the first pontiff from the order that follows his teachings.

The ideas of the 4th Century North African theologian, such as community and humility, have helped shape the current leader of the Catholic Church.

The Pope will go to the region where St Augustine was a bishop - formerly known as Hippo, now called Annaba - where he will celebrate Mass.

This will be the country's first visit by any pope, and dialogue with the Islamic world is expected to be a key focus, with a visit to the Great Mosque of Algiers being an important moment.

So too will a stop at a place of pilgrimage and prayer for both Muslims and Christians - the Basilica of our Lady of Africa - also in Algeria's capital.

Behind the statue depicting a black Virgin Mary - venerated in both religions - are the words "pray for us and pray for the Muslims".

The Rector of the Basilica, Father Peter Claver Kogh, told the BBC that he expected Pope Leo would "encourage us in our faith and in our mission to build a new world.

"A world where there is peace and where people live together in harmony."

But the trip comes as rights groups express their concern over Algeria's treatment of religious minorities.

Algeria has a predominantly Sunni Muslim population. In the past, courts in the North Africa nation have imprisoned Christians and Ahmadi Muslims for what had been described as "unauthorised worship" or offence to Islam.

After Algeria, Pope Leo will go on to Cameroon, where the conflict in its two anglophone regions will provide a backdrop.

The UN estimates at least 6,000 people have been killed and over half a million forced from their homes in the violence that has spanned nearly a decade, sparked by tensions between English-speaking separatists and the francophone-dominated government.

Bamenda, the capital of Cameroon's North-West region, has been at the centre of the conflict.

It is here that the Pope will hold a Mass for peace and justice at the airport. Local residents hope it might act as a catalyst for reconciliation.

"With God coming - because he is God on Earth - I know that everything will be solved," said Ernestine Afanwi, a 45-year-old woman who fled Bamenda after her house and shop were destroyed.

For the last three years, she and her six children have been living with other internally displaced people at a ramshackle old feed processing plant in the capital, Yaoundé.

"If I was face-to-face with the Pope, I would tell him all my problems [and ask] him to anoint the land," she told the BBC.

The impact of conflict will also be a focus of the stop in Angola, a country which experienced decades of bloody civil war between the mid-1970s and 2002. A key theme will be peace and reconstruction.

In addition to meeting with bishops, the pontiff will celebrate Mass with some 200,000 faithful, in a country where between 40% and 55% of the population identify as Catholic.

The presence of the Catholic Church in Angola dates back to the late 15th Century, when Portuguese explorers and missionaries arrived along the Angolan coast.

In Equatorial Guinea, the last country on the tour, more than 70% of people identify as Catholic.

Social justice is among the issues that the Pope is expected to address in a country whose president has been in power for almost 50 years, making him one of the world's longest-serving heads of state.

Critics say President Teodoro Obiang Nguema's government is one of the most oppressive in the region, and accuse the regime of human rights abuses - allegations which the government denies.

In addition to meeting with authorities, Pope Leo is expected to visit a psychiatric hospital and a prison, as well as meeting young people.

While this will be his first pastoral visit to Africa since assuming the leadership of the Catholic Church last year, the Pope is no stranger to the continent.

As Cardinal Robert Prevost, he visited several countries including Kenya and Tanzania.

The 70-year-old pontiff will deliver around 25 speeches, as well as meeting political leaders, local Catholic communities and holding interfaith events.

The intensity of the tour is an indication of how the Vatican is prioritising its broader engagement with the continent.

By selecting Africa for this extensive itinerary, says the Vatican, Pope Leo will reinforce the continent's role in global Catholic life, showcasing it as a place of faith, resilience and future growth.

Additional reporting by Nomsa Maseko, Paul Njie in Yaoundé and Ager Oueslati in Algiers

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