As Equatorial Guinea prepares to receive Pope Leo XIV, Vatican News speaks to residents of Malabo about their expectations for his upcoming visit.
On the eighth day of his Apostolic Journey in Africa, Pope Leo XIV visits a nursing home and celebrates Mass in Saurimo, and meets with members of the clergy, religious men and women, and pastoral workers in Luanda.
In light of Pope Leo's repeated appeals for peace during his Apostolic Journey, Fr Samir Alrafayne, a Sudanese priest who has been in Angola for 13 years, calls for renewed attention to the critical situation in Sudan, where a violent conflict has raged for years, killing tens of thousands and displacing millions of people.
In Luanda, during a meeting with the bishops, clergy, men and women religious, and pastoral workers, the Pope highlights the courage of the Angolan Church in “denouncing the scourge of war” and warns: “this responsibility is not over!” He urges all to contribute to building a society founded on freedom and fairness, and emphasizes the value of catechists, “an inspiration for Catholic communities throughout the world.”
In light of the systemic shocks caused by the war in the Middle East, the Holy See's Permanent Observer to the FAO urges immediate measures to stabilize markets and protect vulnerable populations and echoes the Pope's call to "let us embrace diplomacy to ensure sustainable development."
During Mass in Saurimo, Pope Leo urges the faithful of Angola to follow the Risen Lord, who leads the way and sanctifies us, and "to not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life.”
Tomorrow, 21 April, on the first anniversary of the passing of Pope Francis, a Rosary and a Mass -- which will be broadcast live on Vatican News and Vatican Radio -- will be celebrated to remember the late Pope at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. Also to mark the anniversary, a documentary recalling Pope Francis' life will be released.
Pope Leo XIV visits the elderly at a care home in the Angolan city of Saurimo, and recalls that the quality of a nation is seen in how it cares for the weakest.
Amid Pope Leo XIV's visit to a care home for the elderly in Saurimo, Georgina Mwandumba, the facility's director, tells Vatican News about the 74 elderly residents who have been rejected by their families due to superstitious beliefs, saying the Holy Father's visit offers a profound lesson for Angolan society.
Pope Leo XIV wraps up his seventh day in Africa, during which he celebrated Holy Mass in Kilamba and prayed the Rosary at the Mamã Muxima Shrine, in Angola.
During his visit to Angola, Pope Leo XIV prays with pilgrims at the historic Mama Muxima Shrine, urging young people to draw from Marian devotion a commitment to justice, solidarity, and peace in society.
People from around the world gather in Kilamba to participate in Holy Mass with Pope Leo XIV, on Sunday, 19 April, during his Apostolic Journey in Africa.
Pope Leo XIV’s Sunday afternoon visit to Angola’s most famous shrine is a major boost to Marian devotees across Angola and southern Africa. At the Sanctuary of Mama Muxima—arguably Southern Africa’s largest Catholic pilgrimage site and a key symbol of Marian devotion—the Pope, on his first visit, has brought deserved global attention to this revered yet hidden treasure.
Speaking at the Regina Coeli after Mass in Angola, Pope Leo XIV expresses closeness to the people of Ukraine amid intensified attacks and appeals for dialogue and diplomatic efforts in Lebanon.
Pope Leo XIV’s pilgrimage to four African nations highlights the strength of peoples long burdened by the yoke of colonialism and calls us to take part in building a more just, fraternal, and compassionate present and future.
During Mass in Kilamba, Angola, Pope Leo XIV insists that Jesus is alive, is risen, and walks beside them, and notes that if all the faithful welcome the Lord and His presence in their midst, their nation that has seen much suffering can be graced with a blessed and peaceful future.
Pope Leo encourages Italy's Catholic University of the Sacred Heart 'to be an interpreter of the Gospel in the educational and cultural sphere, in constant dialogue with the Church’s Magisterium' in the message he sent for the '102nd Day' of the Catholic University which was sent on the Holy Father's behalf to Archbishop Mario Delpini of Milan.
Archbishop Andrew Nkea, President of the Episcopal Conference of Cameroon, speaks to Vatican News about Pope Leo XIV’s Apostolic Journey to the country.
Pope Leo XIV says goodbye to Cameroon, concluding the second leg of his Apostolic Journey, and arrives in Angola, where he urges authorities to “place the common good before particular interests".
Pope Leo addresses Angola’s authorities, civil society and members of the diplomatic corps and encourages them to use their positions to promote peace and stability.