Salvatore Cernuzio – On board the Algiers/Yaoundé plane
The Holy Father commented on the two days spent in Algeria – the first stage of his apostolic journey through Africa, which continues today in Cameroon, and in the coming days will include Angola and Equatorial Guinea.
“I hope you are rested”
Less than fifteen minutes after the Ita Airways Airbus took off from Algiers to Cameroon, Leo XIV greeted about 70 journalists from around the world accompanying him. “I hope you are all rested and ready for the next stage of the journey,” he said. The days spent in Algeria were – as he stated – “a beautiful opportunity to further build bridges and promote dialogue.”
Thanks to the Algerian authorities
Leo XIV thanked the Algerian authorities who made this visit possible, also providing an escort during the flight over Algerian airspace. “This is a sign of the kindness, generosity, and respect that the Algerian nation and the Algerian government wanted to show the Holy See and me personally,” he said.
A small but significant Church
Leo XIV also expressed gratitude to the Catholic Church in Algeria, “small but very significant.” He mentioned the “special visits” on April 13 and 14 to the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa in Algiers and to the Basilica of Saint Augustine in Annaba, on the hill overlooking the modern city and the ruins of ancient Roman Hippo.
According to the Pope, all of this carried “strong symbolic value,” because Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo for over thirty years, “is a figure from the past who tells us about tradition and the life of the Church in the first centuries of its development,” and at the same time remains “an extremely important figure even today.”
The relevance of Saint Augustine
His writings, teaching, spirituality, and call to seek God and search for truth constitute – as Leo XIV stated – “a message that we greatly need in the modern world, a message extremely relevant for all of us who believe in Jesus Christ, but also for every person.”
He emphasized that the Algerian people, the vast majority of whom are not Christian, “hold deep respect for the memory of Saint Augustine as one of the great sons of their land.”
Building unity and respect
For the Pope, who from the beginning identifies himself as “a son of Saint Augustine,” it was “a special grace” to be able to return to Annaba and “offer to the Church and the world” the vision of the great Church Father: “a vision of seeking God and the effort to build community, striving for unity among all peoples and mutual respect despite differences.”
Living in peace despite differences
This message the Pope sought to realize during various meetings in these days in Algeria. Particularly significant was the visit to the Grand Mosque, which showed that “although we have different beliefs, different ways of praying and living, we can nevertheless live together in peace.” “Promoting such an image is something the world needs today and what we can jointly show through our testimony, continuing this apostolic journey,” concluded Leo XIV.
