As Pope Leo XIV prepares to make an Apostolic Journey to four African nations, Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, tells Vatican News about the Pope’s desire to show his closeness to existential peripheries and to carry the hope of Christ.
By Massimiliano Menichetti
Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea await Pope Leo XIV’s arrival, as he will embark on an Apostolic Journey to these four African countries from April 13 to 23.
During the first leg of his journey, the Holy Father will travel to Annaba, ancient Hippo. It is “not a purely commemorative gesture,” emphasized the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, “but an act of profound identity and, above all, spiritual coherence.”
In the four countries, final preparations are underway, and there is great anticipation for the words the Pope will share. As highlighted by the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, during the meeting with journalists to present the Pope’s third Apostolic Journey, he will address themes including peace, dialogue, care for creation, migration, and the family.
In contrast to the predatory dynamics that often mark the African continent—fostering poverty, corruption, and violence—Cardinal Parolin expressed his hope that Catholics will be builders of justice, peace, and solidarity.
Q: The Holy Father will be in Africa from April 13 to 23 and will strengthen the Catholic communities in their faith. He will visit four countries with a very intense schedule that includes institutional meetings, encounters with local communities, and liturgical celebrations. What is the common feature that unites such a diverse itinerary?
Cardinal Parolin: The common thread of this Apostolic Journey lies in the Holy Father’s choice to bring the presence of the Church to places where human suffering is most acute.
Four countries, different in history, social context, and political challenges, yet united by an underlying reality marked by both light and shadow: vibrant and deeply rooted Catholic communities, but also poverty, fragility, inequality, and unresolved tensions.
Pope Leo XIV travels to Africa to be close to those living on the existential peripheries.
Q: The first stop is Algeria. Leo XIV will visit the Great Mosque in Algiers and, in Annaba—ancient Hippo—he will celebrate Holy Mass. What significance does this return to the places of Saint Augustine hold for a Pope who is his spiritual son? And how might this impact Islamic-Christian dialogue in a Muslim-majority country?
As a spiritual son of Saint Augustine, and the first Pope belonging to the Augustinian Order, traveling to Annaba is not merely a commemorative gesture, but an act of profound identity and, above all, spiritual coherence.
Pope Leo knows this land and has visited it several times as Prior General of the Order. In this context, Saint Augustine represents an element of dialogue: he constitutes a natural meeting point between the Christian tradition and the Islamic world.
The visit to the Great Mosque of Algiers fully fits within this perspective, as a natural continuation of the path of interreligious dialogue already undertaken in Türkiye and Lebanon—a dialogue that the Holy Father intends to pursue with patience and determination.
Q: In Cameroon, the Holy Father will visit three cities: Yaoundé, Bamenda, and Douala. His visit will include significant moments such as the meeting for peace in Bamenda and the visit to an orphanage. In light of the tensions present in some regions of the country, what role can this visit play in promoting reconciliation and peace among the communities?
For several years now, a crisis has been ongoing in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon, which has caused many casualties. The inhabitants of Bamenda are experiencing this firsthand.
Therefore, in the context of the deterioration of the security and humanitarian situation, the visit of the Successor of Peter demonstrates the attention and care that the universal Shepherd of the Church has for his flock, as he strives to understand their difficulties firsthand and walk alongside them.
The stop in Bamenda is that of a shepherd who identifies with his flock. More generally, the Holy Father travels to the country as a bearer of hope—especially for young people—of reconciliation and peace. His message is an invitation to dialogue and mutual respect.
Q: The third stop is Angola, where the Pope will visit, other than the capital Luanda, symbolic places such as Muxima and Saurimo, where he will meet ecclesial communities and local realities. What message does the Holy Father intend to bring to a country marked by great resources but also by deep social inequalities?
The three places that the Holy Father will visit in Angola, in a certain sense, symbolize the challenges and hopes the country is currently experiencing.
Luanda and Saurimo represent the country’s wealth. The capital has become an oasis of prosperity that attracts foreign investment and migration from rural areas. Saurimo is a center known for its mining activities, especially diamonds.
While the exploitation of natural resources has brought prosperity, some of its negative consequences cannot be overlooked, such as the exploitation of workers, the widening socio-economic gap, and the environmental impact.
Then, the visit to the Marian shrine of Muxima represents the vitality of faith that has helped the Angolan people overcome the various difficult moments of their history.
I would also like to add that I myself was able to experience the vibrancy of the local Church when I went for the episcopal consecration of Archbishop Germano Penemote, the first Apostolic Nuncio of Angolan origin.
Q: The last country the Pope will travel to will be Equatorial Guinea, where he will visit Malabo, Mongomo, and Bata, and will meet with young people, families, the cultural world, and also prisoners. What is the significance of this particular attention to young people and families in a country where the Church has a deeply rooted presence in society?
Equatorial Guinea is among the most Catholic countries in Africa, with about 80% of the population adhering to the Catholic faith.
Following in the footsteps of Saint John Paul II, who visited the country in 1982, this visit takes place in the context of the 170th anniversary of the beginning of evangelization in the country (1855–2025), with the motto “Christ, light of Equatorial Guinea, towards a future of hope.”
With this Apostolic Journey, the people of Equatorial Guinea can recall the past with trust, while walking a path of faith and hope toward the future.
The Pope’s visit and his meetings—especially with young people and families—will rekindle the flame of their faith, encouraging them to cultivate and persevere in Christian values.
It is a loving and fatherly invitation to reconciliation, justice, and perseverance in faith, as well as a hope for a positive impact on society.
Q: Your Eminence, how important is this visit to Africa also from a diplomatic standpoint?
Every Apostolic Journey inherently carries a diplomatic dimension, as it represents an opportunity to strengthen bilateral relations between the Holy See and the countries visited by the Pope.
It gives him the opportunity to meet with authorities and discuss issues of common interest at the national, regional, and international levels. In Africa, this takes on particular significance, as the continent is marked by immense potential but also by major challenges.
As is well known, papal diplomacy has clear objectives: to safeguard fundamental freedoms, especially religious freedom, promote peace, encourage dialogue, including interreligious dialogue, defend the dignity of every person, and foster the integral development of peoples.
From this perspective, each stage of the upcoming Apostolic Journey, which includes both the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa, becomes an opportunity to reaffirm the Church’s commitment, alongside civil and religious institutions, in favor of peaceful coexistence among different faiths and ethnic groups, social justice, the fight against poverty, and the protection of human dignity.
Ultimately, it is in support of a more just, peaceful, and united Africa.
Q: Africa is often subject to predatory dynamics and is frequently marked by poverty, corruption, and violence. How can these cycles be broken, and how important is the role of Catholics in these processes?
Africa is a continent rich in human, cultural, and natural resources, yet it is too often subject to dynamics that hinder its development: poverty, corruption, violence, and forms of exploitation that are also external and impoverish already vulnerable populations.
Breaking these mechanisms requires commitment and perseverance. The Catholic Church is present in Africa through schools, hospitals, welcome centers, and charitable works, which often provide a concrete response to people’s basic needs.
But the Church’s response does not end with charitable action; it also passes through the formation of consciences and the education of young people in the values of dignity, justice, and solidarity.
This is where Catholic faithful are called to play a decisive role—not as mere recipients of a message, but as active protagonists of change in their own lives, in their communities, and within institutions.
Q: What is your wish for this Apostolic Journey?
The wish is that this Apostolic Journey may leave a profound mark on three closely connected dimensions: peace, dialogue, and the growth of the local Church. We hope for peace, above all, in countries that still bear the scars of conflicts and divisions, where the presence of the Holy Father can help foster a spirit of reconciliation.
Dialogue will be promoted through encounters with civil authorities and representatives of other religious traditions, which can open new spaces for mutual understanding.
Lastly, we hope for the growth of the local Churches, which are often small, sometimes isolated, but always generous.
Africa is a young continent, rich in faith and vitality, and the Pope’s visit is an act of trust in its future—a future that the Church intends to continue accompanying with dedication and hope.
