Speaking at a meeting dedicated to peace in Bamenda, Cameroon, Pope Leo XIV warns against the "masters of war" who pretend not to acknowledge that "it only takes a moment to destroy, yet often a lifetime is not enough to rebuild" and who spend billions on weapons but dedicate nothing to helping people heal.
April 16 would have marked Pope Benedict XVI’s 99th birthday. Looking ahead to what would have been the late Pope’s 100th birthday next year, the Joseph Ratzinger–Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation announces a year of initiatives to commemorate him.
Pope Leo XIV concludes the first leg of his Apostolic Journey, travelling south from Algeria to Cameroon, where he addresses the country’s authorities, members of civil society and the diplomatic corps, and visits an orphanage.
Bishop James Massa issues a statement in response to public comments regarding the Church’s teaching on war and peace
Pope Leo XIV visits the Ngul Zamba Orphanage in Yaoundé, and encourages children who have faced hardship to see themselves as part of a loving family, thanking caregivers for their dedicated service.
Theologian, philosopher, and missionary priest Fr. Nico Syukur Dister, OFM, is remembered for his enduring contribution to theology, philosophy, and religious life in Indonesia.
During his first official event in Cameroon, Pope Leo XIV calls for peace, justice, and a renewed commitment to the common good, highlighting that peace “must not be reduced to a slogan.”
The Catholic Church in Kenya is preparing to host the 21st Plenary Assembly of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences of Eastern Africa, a significant ecclesial gathering that will bring together bishops from across eastern and parts of southern Africa for reflection on the Church’s mission in the region.
After kicking off his apostolic journey to the African Continent in Algeria, Pope Leo XIV’s lands in Cameroon on Wednesday, April 15, beginning the second leg of his pilgrimage that will take him also to Angola and Equatorial Guinea.
Aboard the papal plane bound for Cameroon, Pope Leo XIV reflects on his Apostolic Journey to Algeria, calling it a “special blessing for me personally” and a “wonderful opportunity to continue to build bridges and promote dialogue.”
Faced with the destructive power of modern weapons, it is very difficult to speak, as was done in past centuries, of the possibility of a ‘just war.’ As early as 1963, Pope John XXIII, in 'Pacem in Terris,' wrote that in the atomic age it becomes almost impossible to think that war can be considered an instrument of justice. In this same spirit stands Pope Leo XIV, who is making peace one of the central themes of his pontificate.
At the conclusion of Pope Leo XIV's visit to the North African country of Algeria, the President of the Conference of Bishops of the North Africa region and head of the Church in Tunis offers an assessment of the visit, recalling how the visit was inspired by St. Augustine and that Pope Leo met the people with faith, simplicity, and humility.
After a brief visit to a Church-run orphanage in Algiers, Pope Leo XIV boards the papal plane at the conclusion of his Apostolic Journey to Algeria and flies to Cameroon for the second leg of his visit to four African nations.
Ahead of the Pope's arrival, Cameroonians tell Vatican News that his visit could inspire diverse groups to “live together, work together, and get along”.
Pope Leo XIV visits the city of Annaba on his second day in Algeria, visiting the places where Saint Augustine carried out his ministry as Bishop of Hippo.
People from around the world gather at the Basilica of Saint Augustine in Annaba for Holy Mass with Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday, 14 April, during the first leg of his Apostolic Journey in Africa.
Pope Leo XIV, the first Augustinian Pope, celebrates Mass at the Basilica of St. Augustine in Hippo, Algeria, and reminds the faithful that, like the great saint and Doctor of the Church, it is never too late to welcome the Lord's invitation to lift us up from our hardships and trials, and, with His strength, renew and transform our lives.
A statement from Unity Alliance, which brings Anglophone Cameroonian separatist groups together, announces a period of halted fighting ahead of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to the conflict-torn region.
Catholics in Algeria share how the Pope’s Apostolic Journey has been going and their hopes for the impact of his visit, in an interview with Vatican News.
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Tanzania (TEC) has announced, with sadness, the death of Bishop Bernardin Francis Mfumbusa of Kondoa Diocese. Bishop Mfumbusa was admitted to Dodoma’s Benjamin Mkapa Hospital due to illness and died there on Tuesday morning, 14 April 2026.