Thousands of faithful lined the streets of Luanda to welcome Pope Leo XIV as he arrived in Angola, the third leg of his historic African tour marked by escalating rhetoric on global conflicts and governance.
The pontiff, the first from the United States, is expected to meet President João Lourenço and deliver a key address during his stay in the oil-rich nation, where nearly half the population identifies as Catholic. His visit follows earlier stops in Cameroon and Algeria as part of an 11-day, four-nation trip across the continent.
Before touching down in Angola’s capital, Leo concluded a three-day visit to Cameroon with an open-air Mass at Yaoundé airport, drawing tens of thousands of worshippers eager to catch a glimpse of the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
“It’s as if God were very close to us,” said Helena Maria Miguel, a 40-year-old human resources manager, describing the atmosphere surrounding the pope’s visit.
The visit comes amid heightened global tensions, with Pope Leo XIV sharpening his tone in recent days following criticism from US President Donald Trump. Without naming Trump directly, the pontiff condemned leaders who exploit religion to justify violence, warning that the world was “being ravaged by a handful of tyrants.”
Throughout his African tour, Leo has issued strong warnings against corruption, economic exploitation, and the misuse of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. In Cameroon, he urged leaders to confront graft and denounced those “who, in the name of profit, continue to seize the African continent to exploit and plunder it.”
His message is expected to resonate in Angola, a country still grappling with widespread poverty despite vast oil wealth. Nearly one-third of the population lives below the poverty line, while the economy remains heavily dependent on crude exports.
“There is a lot of suffering, a lot of poverty in Angola. I hope the pope will see with his own eyes the needs of the youth here,” said Antonio Masaidi, a 33-year-old engineer.
The pope’s visit also comes at a sensitive time for the country. Recent torrential rains have claimed dozens of lives in Benguela, while lingering public anger over the high cost of living has triggered protests and a deadly crackdown in the past year.
Pope Leo XIV will celebrate a large open-air Mass in Kilamba, on the outskirts of Luanda, where authorities have constructed facilities to host tens of thousands of attendees. He will later travel to the historic pilgrimage site of Muxima, home to a 16th-century church overlooking the Kwanza River, where a new basilica is under construction.
“It is a historic moment of grace, a moment of profound emotion, with tears in our eyes and gratitude in our hearts,” said Father Mpindi Lubanzadio Alberto, rector of the Muxima shrine.
The pontiff is also scheduled to visit a retirement home in Saurimo before heading to Equatorial Guinea, the final stop of an 18,000-kilometre journey that underscores the Vatican’s growing focus on Africa.
