ANNABA: On Algeria’s sparkling Mediterranean coast, the city of Annaba is teeming with excitement as the one-time home of Saint Augustine readies for the country’s first visit by a Catholic pontiff.
For the city’s small Christian community, Pope Leo XIV’s visit is a powerful nod of recognition, and at the Basilica of Saint Augustine, preparations are well underway, overseen by rector Father Fred Wekesa.
Municipal workers, aided by members of the Order of Saint Augustine, are hard at work repainting the walls and polishing the statues ahead of the pope’s visit to Algeria from April 13 to 15.
Elected in May last year, Pope Leo in his first speech loudly proclaimed his affinity for Saint Augustine, describing himself as a “son” of the famed theologian.
Augustine was born in 354 in the ancient city of Thagaste, now known as Souk Ahras, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Annaba — which lies atop the ancient Roman city of Hippo.
