Pope Leo XIV is embarking Monday on the first-ever papal trip to Algeria. He aims to promote Christian-Muslim coexistence at a time of global conflict. He also will honor the locally born inspiration of his religious spirituality, St. Augustine. Leo’s visit kicks off an 11-day tour of four African nations that also includes Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea. It will bring the U.S.-born pope into the growing heart of the Catholic Church on the continent. Algeria has a tiny Catholic community of around 9,000 people made up mostly of foreigners that exists alongside the Sunni Muslim majority of about 47 million.
From
To
FILE - Iranian pro-government demonstrators burn the U.S. and Israeli flags as one of them holds a picture of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei during a gathering after announcement of a two-week ceasefire in the war with the Unites States and Israel at the Enqelab-e-Eslami, or Islamic Revolution, Square in Tehran, Iran, April 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)
Pope Leo XIV is making a long and ambitious odyssey across four African countries -- Algeria, Angola, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. The visit will put Leo’s linguistic, cultural and endurance chops to the test, even for a relatively young and fit pope who loves to travel and crisscrossed the globe as superior of his Augustinian religious order. The 70-year-old Leo will cover about 11,000 miles on 18 flights over 11 days starting Monday. He'll deliver speeches and homilies in French, Spanish, Portuguese and English in a part of the world that is crucial for the continued growth of the Catholic Church, but poses unique challenges as well.
Pro-government demonstrators chant slogans as they hold Iranian flags and a poster of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei in a gathering after announcement of a two-week ceasefire in the war with the United States and Israel, at the Enqelab-e-Eslami, or Islamic Revolution, Square, in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
ZANJAN, Iran (AP) — A black banner hangs over the border crossing and portraits of Iran's slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stare do…
Iraqi women hold a portrait of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his son Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, during a protest against U.S. and Israeli attacks on multiple cities across Iran, in the Shi'ite district of Kazimiyah in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has signed into law a new provision increasing the punishment for homosexualit…
A woman waves an Iranian flag during a campaign in support of the government at the Enqelab-e-Eslami, or Islamic Revolution, square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
JERUSALEM (AP) — Jerusalem’s major holy sites are shuttered and families are dejected and exhausted ahead of Passover and Easter as the Iran w…
A woman holds a portrait of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a protest outside Iran's embassy, where dozens of people gathered waving Hezbollah and Iranian flags in solidarity with the Islamic Republic, in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, March 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)