April 14 (UPI) -- Pope Leo XIV began his papal trip to Africa Monday, landing in Algeria, the ancient home of St. Augustine of Hippo, bringing peaceful messages to the country and its people.
The trip includes stops in Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea, and will last 11 days, but Algeria is the only Muslim-dominant country on the trip.
When he arrived Monday at Algiers International Airport Houari Boumediene, he was welcomed by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. He was later taken to the Maqam Echahid, a monument commemorating those who died in the Algerian War. The war was fought from 1954 to 1962 against the French to establish Algeria as an independent state.
The trip to Africa is significant to the continent and the Catholic church. There are 14 new Catholic dioceses created in Africa in the past year, and the Catholic population has grown by 7 million, said John Pontifex of the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need UK.
"A focus on Africa this early on in Pope Leo's pontificate no doubt reflects a sense that in terms of Catholicism this is a continent that is coming of age," The Guardian reported he said.
