Leo to Become First Pope to Visit Muslim Algeria

Algeria will be the first stop of the 11-day tour covering 18,000 kilometers across four African countries, including Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea, from 13 to 23 April.

No other priest has visited the North African country of Algeria, where Islam is the state religion, and the 70-year-old priest’s arrival is eagerly awaited by the Catholic minority.

The visit also carries a strong personal dimension for Pope Leo; for modern-day Algeria was home to Saint Augustine (354-430), a great Christian theologian whose spiritual legacy permeated his papacy.

While the world watches the war in the Middle East with concern, peaceful coexistence will be at the center of the Pope’s message in a country where 99 percent of the population of 47 million is Muslim.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the pope’s aim was to “address the Islamic world but also confront the common problem of coexistence.”

The Algerian constitution guarantees freedom of worship, but authorities must approve both the place of worship and the preacher.

But human rights groups say repression of religious minorities in Algeria has continued in recent years.

Three organizations – Human Rights Watch, EuroMed Rights and MENA Rights Group – published a joint letter last week urging the pope to raise the issue during his visit.

– Soft power –

The trip was praised in the local press for its “symbolic and historical significance” that extends far beyond Algeria’s 9,000 Catholics.

The newspaper noted that it was a symbol of “Algeria’s soft power”, reflecting the country’s “stability, regional mediator role and capacity to dialogue with global actors”, according to the government’s daily newspaper El Moudjahid.

Pope Leo will meet with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in Algiers on Monday morning and deliver a speech to officials and diplomatic corps.

According to the Casbah Tribune news website, no public demonstrations are planned in the capital and the popemobile, the famous white vehicle used by priests to drive past crowds of believers, will remain at the airport.

In the afternoon, the Pope will visit the Great Mosque of Algiers, one of the largest mosques in the world, and meet with the Catholic community.

Leo will also pray privately at the chapel dedicated to the 19 priests and nuns killed during the dark decade of the civil war (1992-2002).

However, he will not visit the Tibhirine monastery, where its monks were kidnapped and killed in 1996 and which still remains a mystery.

– Son of St. Augustine –

The most symbolic stop for the pope will be Tuesday’s trip to the eastern city of Annaba, once home of Saint Augustine, where Leo will hold mass.

From the moment he became pope on May 8, 2025, following the death of Pope Francis, Leo introduced himself as the “son” of the famous theologian.

The former Robert Francis Prevost is a member of the Augustinian order, founded in the 13th century and based on ideals of common life and communion.

Father Fred Wekesa, rector of Saint Augustine’s Basilica in Annaba, said Leo’s visit was “an extremely important moment” that would send a “message of courage and solidarity” to his small flock.

“All too often, some people view this country only through the lens of the ‘dark years’,” he added, alluding to the country’s bloody civil war from 1992 to 2002, when 200,000 people were killed in the conflict between Islamists and security forces.

“With the visit of the Holy Father… the whole world will see the hospitality and generosity of the Algerian people,” Wekesa said.

“We have the ability to live together in peace.”