Pope Leo XIV arrived in the Algerian city of Annaba on Tuesday, April 14, marking the second day of a historic and unprecedented trip to Algeria — the first ever papal visit to the North African nation. The visit, part of an eleven-day apostolic journey across Africa, was shadowed by twin suicide attacks in the nearby city of Blida, underlining the security challenges that persist even as the pontiff pursued his message of peace and reconciliation.
Annaba, formerly the ancient Roman city of Hippo Regius, holds profound significance for the Catholic Church as the one-time home of Saint Augustine, the theologian whose autobiographical Confessions is considered one of the most influential works in the Christian tradition. Pope Leo XIV, who belongs to the Augustinian order, has frequently referred to himself as a “son” of Augustine, making Tuesday’s visit deeply symbolic for a pontiff whose spiritual lineage is intertwined with this ancient North African city.
A Pilgrimage Through History
The pontiff celebrated Mass at the hilltop Basilica of Saint Augustine, an Arab-Byzantine-style structure that draws approximately 18,000 pilgrims annually, including significant numbers of Muslims and Jews who join the Christian community in pilgrimage. In his homily, delivered in French, Pope Leo told Algeria’s Christians they were “a humble and faithful sign of Christ’s love in this land” and urged them to “bear witness to the Gospel through simple gestures, genuine relationships and a dialogue lived out day by day.”
Among those in attendance was Sister Rose-Marie de Tauzia, who has lived and worked in Algiers for two decades, running a reception centre for impoverished elderly people, most of them Muslim. She said she was happy with the visit, adding the pontiff had come to “proclaim peace” at a time when “everything is difficult” and “the world is in tension.”
The Attacks That Marred the Visit
The spiritual significance of the visit was somewhat overshadowed by twin suicide attacks in Blida, approximately 45 kilometres southwest of Algiers. The bombings occurred on Monday, the first day of the papal visit, during which the pontiff had already survived a diplomatic storm with US President Donald Trump. No deaths beyond the two bombers were immediately confirmed, but the timing and location of the attacks — during the first ever papal visit to Algeria — added a particularly chilling dimension to the trip.
The Diplomatic Storm With Trump
The controversy with Trump began when Pope Leo publicly called for peace in the Middle East, comments interpreted as criticism of the Trump administration’s stance. The president said he was “not a big fan” of the pope, to which Leo responded aboard the papal plane: “The Gospel says… blessed are the peacemakers. I have no fear, neither of the Trump administration, nor speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel.” The exchange has strained the Vatican’s relationship with Washington and drawn support for the pope from Italian and American bishops.
VP JD Vance urged the Vatican to “stick to matters of morality,” a remark that drew sharp rebukes from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who called Trump’s remarks “unacceptable.” The bilateral tensions were already elevated amid ongoing disputes over migration and geopolitical alignment.
Remembering Colonial Wounds
In his first speech in Algiers on Monday, Pope Leo paid tribute to victims of Algeria’s 1954–1962 war of independence from France, calling for “forgiveness” — a remark that resonated amid heightened bilateral tensions between Algeria and France. The comment came days after the pontiff met with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Vatican and reflected a more assertive Vatican approach to addressing colonial legacies across Africa.
He also urged Algeria’s leaders “not to fear” greater public participation in political life, calling for a “vibrant, dynamic and free civil society.” The remark resonated with human rights groups who have documented shrinking freedoms since the pro-democracy Hirak protests of 2019.
An African Journey Just Beginning
After Algeria, Pope Leo XIV travels to Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea, completing an eleven-day tour that takes in several of Africa’s most geopolitically complex nations. The trip is being interpreted as a deliberate effort by the Vatican to reassert the Church’s engagement with Africa at a time when the continent’s global importance is growing rapidly.
For Algeria, the visit marks a historic milestone — the first time a pope has set foot on Algerian soil — and a moment of fragile hope for the country’s ancient but small Christian community, which traces its roots to the earliest days of the Church in North Africa.