Pope Leo XIV will today set out on a 10-day visit to Africa — his first as pope to this continent – visiting Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea. Source: America Magazine.
It is a challenging and complex trip to the continent where the Catholic Church is growing faster than anywhere else in the world and today has 288 million members, 20.3 per cent of the world’s total Catholic population, according to the 2024 Vatican Yearbook.
As the first Augustinian pope, he comes to the continent where St Augustine was born, served as a bishop and founded his first religious communities; and where, as prior general of his order (2001-2013), Robert Prevost visited many times because the Augustinians are present in many African countries.
It is a physically demanding trip on which he will take 12 plane rides and four by helicopter, and deliver eight speeches, eight homilies and six greetings in four different languages (English, French, Portuguese and Spanish) to large audiences.
He will be accompanied on the journey by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State; Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelisation of Peoples; Cardinal George Koovakad, prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, and two African cardinals: Cardinal Peter Turkson and Cardinal Robert Sarah.
The new substitute (or chief of staff) of the Secretariat of State, Archbishop Paolo Rudelli, and the Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, will also travel with Pope Leo, as will his security detail and doctor.
Some 70 journalists, television and radio operators will also accompany him.
Senior African Cardinal Francis Arinze, 93, spoke of his great joy and gratitude that Pope Leo was going to Africa and visiting four countries in the first year of his pontificate.
Cardinal Arinze hailed the visit as “a great encouragement” to the leaders of these four countries in their efforts at “development in social, cultural, educational and interreligious matters, in collaboration with peoples from differing political backgrounds”.
FULL STORY
Pope Leo’s first trip to Africa: what you need to know (By Gerard O’Connell, America Magazine)
