Pope Leo XIV lands in Angola as he is expected to address corruption and poverty

Published connected 18/04/2026 - 19:14 GMT+2•Updated 19:18

After visiting Cameroon, Pope Leo XIV landed successful Luanda, Angola connected Saturday, wherever helium was welcomed by faithful. The Holy Father is astir to go the 3rd pontiff to sojourn Angola, aft John Paul II (1992) and Benedict XVI (2009).

As soon arsenic Pope Leo XIV landed successful Luanda helium was scheduled to conscionable with Angola’s president, João Lourenço, and present a speech, the latest connected a travel during which helium has been stepping up his rhetoric, aft becoming the people of disapproval from Donald Trump.

On Sunday, the Holy Father volition question by chopper to the colony of Muxima, astir 130 kilometres south-east of Luanda, wherever a 16th-century religion built by the Portuguese has go 1 of Africa’s astir important pilgrimage sites.

Five 100 years ago, this Marian shrine became a cardinal constituent successful the transatlantic commercialized successful quality beings tally by the Portuguese, serving arsenic the spot wherever enslaved radical were baptised earlier being shipped to the Americas.

A caller basilica is presently being built successful Muxima, portion of a multi-million-dollar authorities task to crook the tract into a large tourer destination.

“It is simply a historical infinitesimal of grace, a infinitesimal of heavy emotion, with tears successful our eyes and gratitude successful our hearts,” said the rector of the shrine, Father Mpindi Lubanzadio Alberto, speaking to the Catholic quality website ACI Africa.

Tens of thousands of worshippers are expected to question determination to spot the person of the Catholic Church. Pope Leo XIV calls for satellite bid are apt to resonate successful Angola, which successful 2002 emerged from a 27-year civilian warfare that broke retired aft independency from Portugal successful 1975.

As good arsenic his appeals for peace, Pope Leo XIV is expected to code the contented of corruption and exploitation successful the country, where, contempt its immense fossil substance reserves, a 3rd of the colonisation lives beneath the poorness line.

Angola is presently Africa’s fourth-largest lipid shaper and ranks among the world’s apical 20, according to the International Energy Agency. It is besides the world’s third-largest shaper of diamonds and has important deposits of golden and uncommon earths.

Yet contempt its varied earthy resources, the World Bank estimated successful 2023 that much than 30% of the colonisation was surviving connected little than €1.83 a day.

Angola has a colonisation of astir 38 million, and 44% of Angolans are Catholic. The state gained independency from Portugal successful 1975 but inactive bears the scars of a devastating civilian warfare that began soon afterwards and dragged on, with ups and downs, for 27 years earlier ending successful 2002. It is estimated that much than fractional a cardinal radical mislaid their lives.

During his four-day sojourn to Angola, Pope Leo XIV volition nonstop his connection peculiarly to young people, seeking to connection them anticipation and healing, the Vatican has said.

Pope Leo XIV's circuit of the African continent included stops successful Algeria and Cameroon, aft helium visits successful Angola, Pope Leo XIV volition people his past halt successful Equatorial Guinea.

Additional sources • AFP, AP