Pope walks in Augustine’s footsteps as Algeria trip draws to an end

ANNABA, Algeria – Pope Leo XIV travelled on April 14 to the Algerian city of Annaba, the one-time home of Christian theologian Saint Augustine, in the first trip ever by a pontiff to the North African country.

Pope Leo’s visit, which marked the start of an African tour, was marred on April 13 by two suicide attacks in Blida, some 45km south-west of the capital Algiers, and by sharp criticism by US President Donald Trump.

Still, the Pope said on April 14 that the trip “is for me a special gift from God’s providence”, thanking the authorities for “ensuring (its) success”.

Pope Leo was travelling back to Algiers on the evening of April 14 and is set to leave the country for Cameroon on April 15.

While the authorities have yet to comment on the suicide attacks, an informed source on April 14 confirmed the bombings to AFP, and widely circulated videos of the bodies of two suicide bombers were verified by AFP.

No other deaths were confirmed, and no link has so far been established between the attacks and the Pope’s visit.

The American Pope’s trip was already at risk of being overshadowed by a spat with Mr Trump, who said he was “not a big fan” of Pope Leo after the pontiff called for peace in the Middle East.

Aboard the papal plane en route to Algiers on April 13, Pope Leo told reporters that “the Gospel says... blessed are the peacemakers”, and that he had nothing to fear from Mr Trump.

The US President later doubled down on his criticism, refusing to apologise and calling Pope Leo “wrong” and “weak”.

Italian and American bishops expressed their support for the Pope, as did Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, an ally of Mr Trump, who called the US leader’s remarks “unacceptable”.

Overnight, US Vice-President J.D. Vance urged the Vatican to “stick to matters of morality”, and let Mr Trump “stick to dictating American public policy”.

‘Son’ of Augustine

The controversy aside, in north-east Algeria in Annaba – formerly the ancient Roman city of Hippo – Pope Leo visited vestiges of the city’s past, and a reception centre run by Catholic nuns for impoverished elderly people, mostly Muslims.

The city was once the home of Augustine, whose autobiographical “Confessions” is a seminal work within the Christian tradition.

The pontiff has previously referred to himself as a “son” of the saint, and belongs to the Augustinian order.

Pope Leo also celebrated Mass at the hilltop Basilica of Saint Augustine in the presence of clergy from across Africa. The Arab-Byzantine-style church draws some 18,000 pilgrims each year, including Muslims and Jews.

Among those in attendance was Sister Rose-Marie de Tauzia, who has lived in Algiers for two decades. She said she was happy with the Pope’s visit, adding he had come to “proclaim peace” at a time “when everything is difficult” and “the world is in tension”.

Delivering his homily in French, the pontiff told Algeria’s Christians they were “a humble and faithful sign of Christ’s love in this land”.

“Bear witness to the Gospel through simple gestures, genuine relationships and a dialogue lived out day by day,” he said.

Algerian media outlets praised the pontiff’s visit, with Le Quotidien d’Oran saying it showed that “Algeria is a land committed to peace”.

Sunni Islam is the state religion in Algeria, and Catholics represent less than 0.01 per cent of the 47 million inhabitants.

In his first speech in Algiers on April 13, Pope Leo paid tribute to victims of the country’s 1954-1962 war of independence from France and called for “forgiveness” at a time of heightened tensions between Algeria and its former colonial ruler.

The Pope also urged Algeria’s leaders “not to fear” greater public participation in political life, calling for a “vibrant, dynamic and free civil society”.

Since the pro-democracy Hirak protests in 2019, which called for sweeping reforms and greater transparency, human rights groups have reported shrinking freedoms and greater controls over public space.

After Cameroon, the Pope will be travelling on to Angola and Equatorial Guinea. AFP