By David Werning , OSV News

(OSV News) – If you read that one person in 1950 began an organization in a small part of the world and that 50 years later it had more than 4,000 workers at 610 locations in 123 countries, you might think you were reading about a successful multinational corporation.

These statistics, however, reflect the incredible work of St. Teresa of Kolkata and the religious institute she founded, the Missionaries of Charity, at the time of her death in 1997.

The numbers are impressive – and hard to ignore – and they brought a lot of attention to Mother Teresa during her lifetime, both positive and negative.

Often, the reaction went hand in hand with the person’s attitude regarding faith: Those who identified as atheists tended to be hostile, while believers tended to be sympathetic. The Catholic Church is unequivocal in its praise of Mother Teresa, not for any human success but for her yielding to God’s will.

With her Sept. 4, 2016, canonization, the Church recommended Mother Teresa as a model disciple of Christ and, more pointedly, as a model of one who received and shared God’s mercy.

Her mother set the example. Despite the financial strain her husband’s death put on the family, Drana continued to share their food with the poor, even inviting them to dine in the family home. Mother Teresa would practice the same generous charity toward the poor years later.

At 18, Mother Teresa left home in what is now Skopje, North Macedonia, for the Loreto convent in Ireland. Less than a year later, she would join the novitiate in Darjeeling, India, the country that would become her home base for the rest of her life. After completing her training, Mother Teresa taught school in Kolkata during the 1930s and ’40s. She made her final profession on May 24, 1937.

Mother Teresa’s life would take a significant turn in the midst of her teaching vocation. On Sept. 10, 1946, riding a train from Kolkata to Darjeeling for an annual retreat, she experienced what she would later describe as a “call within a call.”

Jesus made known to her that he wanted Mother Teresa to move from the school to the street, where she would provide direct service to the poor. Mother Teresa said Christ wanted her to start an order of nuns that would be dedicated to bring his mercy and love to those excluded from society. Jesus made these things known to her and added, she said, that he would work through her despite her weaknesses and sins.

Mother Teresa responded to Jesus’ requests immediately by petitioning the archbishop of Kolkata, Ferdinand Perier, for permission. His response was not as quick, for he wanted to test its validity. Permission finally came in January 1948, and with the news, Mother Teresa left the convent and went to the streets doing the work for which she became famous: picking up a dying person from the gutter, bathing a child, feeding the hungry.

The main goal was always to love Jesus in those who were forgotten by everyone else and to make known to them the love and mercy of God. Twelve women, former teachers and students from St. Mary’s, joined Mother in her work.

On Oct. 7, 1950, the Missionaries of Charity was officially erected as a religious institute for the Archdiocese of Kolkata. Their work and their numbers have continued to grow ever since. And it is well known that Mother Teresa herself received numerous awards from heads of state throughout her lifetime, the most famous being the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. In 1996, Congress passed a resolution to name her an honorary U.S. citizen – a designation held by only seven others in history.

What was behind all the success? Mother Teresa’s detractors would say ego and a particular political agenda. Readers can still find articles passing on the most negative views of Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity. The accusations include using the sick to make herself appear charitable, failing to provide adequate medical treatment, being preoccupied with abortion and contraceptives, and providing cover – by her good reputation – for unsavory politicians and businessmen who rubbed shoulders with her.

All of these accusations have been shown to have no merit, so why pay attention to them at all?

One reason is that no one, not even Mother Teresa, is above criticism. Indeed, she accepted criticism herself, and if it had merit, she would make the improvement, whether it dealt with herself or her institute. Another reason is to take the opportunity to correct misinformation.

Whatever the reason, Mother Teresa’s proponents can state clearly and openly, as she did often, that any success she or her institute had came from God.

Of course Mother Teresa understood that one had to make the effort to accept God’s gifts, which meant yielding to his will and sometimes suffering the misunderstanding of others. Jesus came to save all people, yet throughout his ministry, he, too, was misunderstood. When he fed thousands with a few pieces of bread and some fish, they wanted to make him king.

They saw his power as a way to guarantee an easy life. Jesus had to correct them, making it clear that while it was important to take care of each other’s needs, the deepest need to be satisfied was salvation. His miracles pointed to his power to save all people from sin and death, which he would do on the cross.

Mother Teresa would say often, “Let us love one another as God loves each one of us,” which is to say unconditionally, extravagantly and always with our ultimate good in mind, which is to be with God forever. She sought to bring God’s mercy and love to everyone with whom she met. That does not mean she was indifferent to people’s material needs. A good portion of the donations she received over the years was given to hospitals, for example.

But she never forgot Jesus’ call. She wanted to reach the people that society regarded as “untouchables” (a real class of people in India when she began her street ministry there, and one that still exists today). These people were left to die by society.

She wanted each one, no matter how low or despised, no matter how close to death, to experience God’s love unconditionally, extravagantly and forever. Just as Jesus’ love was incarnate, Mother Teresa shared his love with a bath, a touch, a smile.

Mother Teresa was not perfect. Her critics were right about that. But what they failed to see was the love and mercy that moved her. She never stopped praising God for his gifts. She knew that they were gratuitous and meant for all. May we never stop praising God for the gift he gave us in Mother Teresa, disciple of his mercy.

(David Werning writes from Virginia.)

By Courtney Mares
ROME (OSV News) – Pope Leo XIV will make the first apostolic journey to South America of his pontificate Nov. 6-17, visiting 10 cities in Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, the Vatican has announced.
The trip will take him from one of Latin America’s least religious countries to the homeland of the late Pope Francis before culminating in Pope Leo’s return to Peru, where he served as an Augustinian missionary and later bishop of Chiclayo. It will be his first return to the continent since his election as pope.

Here is a look at the cities that Pope Leo will visit:

Uruguay (Nov. 6-8)
The pope’s first stop will be Uruguay, where Christians only make up 44% of the population, the lowest percentage in Latin America, according to the Pew Research Center.

Montevideo
Montevideo is Uruguay’s capital and largest city. It is home to the National Shrine of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the historic Montevideo Metropolitan Cathedral.

Paysandú
Paysandú, a cultural and economic hub on Uruguay’s western border with Argentina, was founded in 1772 by a priest, Policarpo Sandú, and Christianized Indigenous families. The city is home to the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, known for its large pipe organ.

Florida
The Uruguay visit will likely conclude in Florida, home to the National Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Thirty-Three, the patroness of Uruguay. A yearly pilgrimage is held every second Sunday of November, which falls this year on Nov. 8. The basilica preserves an 18th-century Guaraní image of the Virgin Mary before which 33 of Uruguayans prayed before fighting for independence.

St. John Paul II consecrated the shrine during his 1988 visit, the last papal trip to Uruguay. “Almost 40 years ago, we experienced the unforgettable visit of St. John Paul II. Now we welcome Pope Leo with enormous anticipation. It is a joy for the Church, but also for all of Uruguay,” Cardinal Daniel Sturla of Montevideo said.

Argentina (Nov. 8-11)
The second leg of the trip will be Argentina, the homeland of Pope Francis, who served as archbishop of Buenos Aires before becoming pope, but never returned during his pontificate. About 58% of adults in Argentina identify as Catholic, according to Pew.

Buenos Aires
In Buenos Aires, the pope will likely meet President Javier Milei, who welcomed the announced visit as “an event of enormous spiritual and institutional significance for our country and for all Argentines.”

The capital is also home to the Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy, where the tomb of Argentina’s first female saint, known as Mama Antula, is located.

Córdoba
Córdoba, Argentina’s second-largest city, is known for its Spanish colonial architecture. Its historic Manzana Jesuítica, “Jesuit Block,” includes one of South America’s oldest universities and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Luján
Luján is home to the Shrine of Our Lady of Luján, patroness of Argentina and one of the country’s leading pilgrimage sites. As archbishop of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis led pilgrimages there, while St. John Paul celebrated Mass at the shrine during his 1982 visit and consecrated Argentina to Our Lady of Luján.

Peru (Nov. 11-17)
The final and longest portion of the trip will bring Pope Leo back to Peru, where he first arrived as an Augustinian missionary in 1985. He was appointed apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo in 2014 before becoming its bishop. He obtained Peruvian citizenship in 2015 before being transferred to the Vatican in 2023.

Lima
Lima is Peru’s capital and largest city. The city is home to the Basilica and Convent of Our Lady of the Rosary, also known as the Convent of Santo Domingo, where St. Rose of Lima and St. Martin de Porres are buried. Keiko Fujimori, whose victory in Peru’s presidential election was declared July 4, is expected to welcome the pope to the country.

Chiclayo
Chiclayo is expected to be one of the most closely watched stops of the trip because of the pope’s ties to the local church. Pope Leo served as bishop of the diocese from 2015 to 2023.

Cusco
Pope Leo will also visit Cusco, the former capital of the Inca Empire. One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the Western Hemisphere, Cusco remains one of Peru’s foremost cultural centers in the Andes with an average elevation of 11,150 feet.

Pucallpa
The pope will not leave Peru without stopping in Pucallpa, a city on the Ucayali River in the Amazonian rainforest that has long served as a center for Catholic missionary outreach in Peru’s rainforest.

The Diocese of Chiclayo celebrated the Vatican’s announcement saying that the pope’s visit will bring “a message of faith, hope, and closeness to millions of Peruvians.”

“It will be a historic visit that will unite us as a people and as a Church,” the diocese said in a social media post.

By Paulina Guzik
PARIS (OSV News) – Pope Leo XIV will make a four-day apostolic journey to France Sept. 25-28, with a program that stretches from the Élysée Palace and UNESCO in Paris to the Marian shrine of Lourdes and a final stop in Metz, and it will include a private meeting with victims of abuse in the Church, the Vatican has confirmed.

The Holy See Press Office released the detailed schedule Aug. 7, along with a statement to journalists saying, “During his upcoming Apostolic Journey to France, Pope Leo XIV will meet privately with several victims of abuse in the Church. The victims themselves will be involved in preparing for this event. Further details may be provided later.”

The motto of the trip, “That the world may have life,” can be clearly read through the prism of a recent vote made by French lawmakers to legalize “assisted dying,” a move that French bishops called a “radical choice.”

He will also meet catechumens and newly baptized Catholics and celebrate Mass at Place de la Concorde. In Lourdes, Pope Leo will pray at the Marian shrine, meet bishops, the sick and religious sisters, and celebrate Sunday Mass. The final stop in Metz will focus on peace, European unity and the legacy of Catholic statesman Robert Schuman.

The French bishops’ conference and the Vatican also unveiled the official logo and motto for the visit: “That the world may have life” (John 6:51), a theme that will most likely frame the pope’s message amid debates on assisted dying in the country.

As France prepares to welcome Pope Leo for the first papal visit in 18 years, Church leaders asked for prayers as amid “logistical challenges and financial considerations, the visit of Pope Leo is “first and foremost a spiritual event,” the bishops said on the official website of the apostolic journey.

“The bishops of France invite all the faithful to pray for the arrival of Pope Leo XIV on the Feast of the Assumption,” on Aug. 15. “Let us entrust to the Lord this apostolic journey and the fruits it will bear for the Church and our country.”

(Paulina Guzik is international editor for OSV News. Follow her on X @Guzik_Paulina)

By Courtney Mares

LAMPEDUSA, ITALY – Pope Leo XIV traveled to the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa July 4, laying a wreath at the graves of migrants who drowned trying to reach Europe and celebrating an open-air Mass in which he called on Catholics to be Good Samaritans offering compassion to those who suffer attempting make the perilous journey by sea. 

“I have not come to give speeches, but to celebrate the Eucharist, the supreme sign of Christ’s presence among us. Jesus’ gesture of breaking bread to give himself gives meaning and strength to our daily acts of assistance and sharing,” Pope Leo told the crowd before offering Mass in a field overlooking Lampedusa’s main port.

“Yes, this is a place where gestures speak more than words,” he added. “But gestures, to be human, require a heart. This is why we have gathered here: to draw from Christ the love that only He can give us, so that the world of today and tomorrow may be more human, for everyone.”

Lampedusa has for years been one of the main gateways to Europe for migrants crossing the Mediterranean from Tunisia and Libya, a journey that has claimed thousands of lives.

In April, the Italian coast guard recovered 19 bodies and rescued 58 people after intercepting a distressed dinghy about 80 nautical miles south of Lampedusa, according to the Associated Press. Last August, a boat carrying nearly 100 migrants capsized in international waters near the island, killing at least 26 people.

During his homily, Pope Leo described the seas surrounding Lampedusa as “as dangerous as the one that led down from Jerusalem to Jericho” in Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan in the Gospel of Luke. 

“Here you have seen not just one, but thousands of human beings fallen into the hands of robbers who have taken everything from them, beat them brutally and walked away, leaving them half-dead,” he said. “The sea has claimed the lives of others … we feel their presence, which challenges us no less than that of those who have landed in need of attention and aid.”

The pope landed on the island, which sits closer to the coast of North Africa than to mainland Italy, just before 9 a.m. His first stop was a cemetery, where he laid a floral wreath on the tombs of migrants who died at sea. The pope then visited the “Porta d’Europa,” or “Gateway to Europe,” a monument on the island, where he walked hand in hand with migrant children on the windy summer day. 

About 14,000 migrants arrived on Italy’s shores in the first six months of 2026, according to the UNHR. Nearly 60% of that number arrived in Lampedusa, which is only about 8 square miles in size.

While walking along the island’s rocky coastline, the wind blew the pope’s zucchetto off his head, which his personal secretary Msgr.  Edgard Rimaycuna quickly retrieved. 

From there, the pope traveled to the Favaloro Pier, where he blessed a plaque dedicating the pier to the late Pope Francis and greeted a group of migrants accompanied by the Red Cross before celebrating the Mass with about 4,000 people in attendance. 

“I have come to thank you, brothers and sisters of Lampedusa, for the solidarity that so many of you have shown,” the pope told the crowd at the Mass. “The miracle of compassion … is an inner revolution that brings forth within us God’s ‘heart’ and broadens our thoughts, hearts and lives.”

Among those present at the papal Mass was 24-year-old Giuseppe Capizzi, who traveled eight hours on an overnight ferry with about 70 other people from his parish of St. Francis in Cancicatti, Sicily, to attend Mass with the pope.

“I’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time, and I’m absolutely thrilled,” Capizzi told OSV News. 

Father Mikolaj Dobosz from Warsaw, Poland, traveled even farther to be present at the Mass. 

The Polish priest, who has devoted the past few years to welcoming Ukrainian refugee mothers and children at his parish, said that he felt this was an important moment to pray with the pope for migrants and for people who are suffering. 

“We work in Poland a lot with migrants, not from Africa or (the) Middle East, but from Ukraine mainly. I work with kids from Ukraine, and I’m really happy to pray with the pope for the people who are suffering,” Father Dobosz said.

One of the few Americans in the crowd for the papal Mass on U.S. Independence Day was Father Daniel Groody, a professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame and a member of the Vatican Dicastery for Integral Human Development. 

“Pope Leo, especially now on the Fourth of July, is signaling what true freedom is about. True freedom is about the capacity to love,” Father Groody told OSV News.

“I think he’s continuing the tradition of the Church that has always recognized that everybody is created in the image and likeness of God, and that he really wants to bring out the dignity that’s often diminished in today’s society.”

Pope Leo’s visit comes 13 years after Pope Francis visited Lampedusa in July 2013, drawing attention to the island by choosing it as the destination of his first trip outside Rome after his election as pope, as a gesture of solidarity with migrants smuggled from North Africa. 

During his visit, Pope Francis celebrated Mass on an altar built from the wood of wrecked migrant boats and condemned what he called the “globalization of indifference” toward people risking their lives to reach Europe.

Migration has remained a concern for Pope Leo since his May 2025 election. In June, he met with migrants and local aid organizations in Spain’s Canary Islands, another major entry point for people crossing from Africa, where he called on governments to establish legal and safe pathways for migration, strengthen rescue and assistance efforts, while also speaking of the “right not to have to migrate,” or the right of people to remain in their homelands free of hunger, war, persecution and violence.

“It’s just a great expression that Pope Leo, at the beginning of his pontificate, really has decided to come here to Lampedusa, as Pope Francis did, to recognize the Church must always be on the margins,” Father Groody said. 

“The Church must always be accompanying those who are struggling to live a more dignified life and to really highlight the importance of the connection between faith and justice that’s really integral to our faith.”

Salvatore Sortino, who directs the International Organization for Migration’s coordination office for the Mediterranean, said that even as overall crossing numbers have declined since Pope Francis’ visit, the proportion of migrants who die at sea or fall victim to accidents during the journey has risen. 

On Lampedusa, the IOM works with Italian authorities and humanitarian partners throughout the reception and assistance process, identifying trafficking victims and other vulnerable migrants so they can be referred to appropriate authorities and transferred to suitable facilities on the Italian mainland.

“The importance of search-and-rescue operations remains a central element of protection in the Mediterranean,” Sortino told Vatican Radio. “But opening legal pathways is eventually the real answer.”

Pope Leo’s Lampedusa visit came a day after the pope delivered a virtual address to a gathering at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, which awarded him its 2026 Liberty Medal for advancing religious liberty and freedom of conscience, in which he spoke passionately about the importance of the “right to life” from the moment of conception to natural death.

In his homily in Lampedusa, the Pope Leo said that Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan “tells us that love is always rooted in freedom, and freedom lies in the decisions we make.”

He said that “before any intellectual consideration or ideological conviction, the encounter with those who lie before us, stripped of everything, calls us to be close to them.”

“There are also those who choose not to be a neighbor,” the pope commented, adding, “it is time to recognize and affirm that religious affiliation must never become a reason for discrimination, as if faith had boundaries rather than being a universal call to salvation.”

“There is no love of God without love of neighbor, and there is no neighbor if I do not draw near. To pause, to be moved, to bend down, to weep before another’s pain – as Jesus did – means entering into the dynamic of love, the very movement in which God has revealed himself,” Pope Leo said.

An image of Our Lady of Portosalvo, Italian for “Our Lady of Safe Harbor,” to whom Lampedusa’s historic Marian shrine is dedicated, stood near the altar throughout the Mass. 

“St. Augustine liked to describe human life as a voyage across a stormy sea and one’s destiny as a safe and secure harbor,” Pope Leo said. “In God we all have a safe haven, and every Christian community is called to be a reflection of it on earth.”

(Courtney Mares is Vatican editor for OSV News. Follow her on X @catholicourtney.)

By OSV News
Pope Leo XIV concluded his first trip to Africa April 23, capping a four-country visit marked by urgent calls for peace, direct engagement with conflict zones and a backdrop of international political tension.

Traveling April 13–23 through Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea, the pope met civil and religious leaders, celebrated public Masses and encouraged Catholics to remain steadfast witnesses to the Gospel.

His visit brought him into regions scarred by violence, including Cameroon’s separatist conflict, while also addressing inequality and corruption in Angola, promoting interreligious dialogue in Algeria and a just society in Equatorial Guinea.

– Algeria –
Pope Leo’s 11-day trip began with an unexpected controversy after U.S. President Donald Trump criticized him in a late-night April 12 post on Truth Social.

Trump called the pope “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy,” accusing him of believing “it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.” The remarks followed the pope’s criticism of the Iran war and his repeated calls for peace.

Journalists aboard the papal flight quickly pressed for a response.

“I have no fear, neither of the Trump administration nor of speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do,” Pope Leo said.

“We are not politicians,” he added. “We are not looking to make foreign policy … but I do believe in the message of the Gospel: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’ is the message that the world needs to hear today.”

The remarks sparked backlash from religious and political leaders, but the pope declined to escalate tensions.

“I don’t want to get into a debate,” he said, emphasizing that his mission is to proclaim peace.

“I don’t think that the message of the Gospel is meant to be abused in the way that some people are doing.”

Despite the dispute, Pope Leo struck a positive tone before landing, saying he was “very happy to visit the land of St. Augustine again.”

In Algiers, he visited the Great Mosque, calling the encounter a sign “that we can learn to respect one another, live in harmony and build a world of peace.”

Later, at the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa overlooking the Mediterranean, he honored Algeria’s Christian martyrs and highlighted interreligious dialogue in the Muslim-majority nation.

The basilica, he said, is a “sign of our desire for peace and unity,” symbolizing “a Church of living stones, where communion between Christians and Muslims takes shape.”

On April 14, the pope traveled to Annaba, near the ruins of ancient Hippo Regius, where St. Augustine spent his final years. The visit held personal significance; Pope Leo has often described himself as “a son of Augustine.”

Celebrating Mass at the Basilica of St. Augustine, he urged Christians to follow the saint’s example, “fervently seeking the truth and serving Christ with ardent faith.”

“Be heirs to this tradition, bearing witness through fraternal charity … as a hope of salvation for the world,” he said.

Addressing Algeria’s small Christian community, he praised their quiet witness.

“Your presence in this country is like incense,” he said. “A glowing grain that spreads fragrance because it gives glory to the Lord and joy and comfort to so many.”

– Cameroon –
During his flight to Cameroon, Pope Leo reflected on Algeria as “a special blessing,” noting that St. Augustine’s life offers a vision of unity and respect across differences.

That message carried into Cameroon, a country scarred by separatist violence. Addressing authorities in Yaoundé, the pope acknowledged the suffering caused by conflict in the English-speaking northwest and southwest regions.

Since 2017, fighting between separatist militias and government forces has killed more than 6,500 people and displaced over 500,000.

“Lives have been lost, families displaced, children deprived of schooling and young people no longer see a future,” he said. “Behind the numbers are the faces, stories and shattered hopes of real people.”

Days before his arrival, separatist groups declared a three-day ceasefire to allow safe travel during the visit.

The highlight of the April 15–18 stop was the pope’s visit to Bamenda, in the heart of the conflict zone. Addressing Catholics at St. Joseph’s Cathedral, the pope was met with enthusiasm after declaring, “I am here to proclaim peace.”

After hearing testimony from local residents – including a chief imam who described a deadly attack on a mosque – the pope strongly condemned violence carried out in God’s name.

“But woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain,” he said, warning against dragging what is sacred “into darkness and filth.”

Celebrating Mass for 20,000 people at Bamenda’s airport, he urged hope rooted in faith.

“This is the moment to change, to transform the story of this country,” he said. “The time has come, today and not tomorrow.”

He called on Cameroonians to “restore the mosaic of unity” by embracing the country’s diversity.

On April 17, he celebrated Mass in Douala for an estimated 120,000 faithful, urging Africans to share God’s love by feeding the hungry and offering spiritual nourishment.

Though the visit brought hope, media coverage continued to frame the trip through the lens of tensions with Trump – something the pope later addressed directly.

– Angola –
While the pope’s warning to those who use God to justify violence resonated with suffering Cameroonians in Bamenda, several media outlets ran headlines insinuating that Pope Leo was making an indirect dig at Trump.

En route to Angola, Pope Leo clarified that his remarks in Cameroon had been prepared weeks earlier and were not directed at the U.S. president.

“My speeches were written well before the president ever commented,” he said. “It is not in my interest to debate,” adding “there has been a certain narrative that has not been accurate in all its aspects.”

Arriving in Luanda, he shifted focus to Angola’s challenges and the Church’s role in offering hope. Home to more than 20 million Catholics, Angola has deep Christian roots but continues to struggle with inequality, corruption and the legacy of a civil war that claimed up to 800,000 lives.

Addressing government leaders, the pope urged them to prioritize the common good.

“Place the common good before every particular interest,” he said. “Never confuse your own part with the whole.”

He warned that the people have suffered when power is abused.

“They bear the scars not only of material exploitation, but also of the presumption of imposing an idea upon others,” he said.

On April 19, Pope Leo celebrated Mass for about 100,000 faithful in Kilamba. Reflecting on the Gospel story of the road to Emmaus, he cautioned against despair in societies marked by prolonged suffering.

“When one is long immersed in a history characterized by pain, one can risk losing hope and remaining paralyzed by discouragement,” he said.

Afterward, he traveled to the Sanctuary of Mama Muxima, southern Africa’s most visited Catholic shrine, where tens of thousands had gathered – many camping for days in intense heat.

Calling the shrine a place where “the heart of the Church” is alive, he noted its enduring role in Angola’s spiritual life.

“For centuries, many have prayed here in joy and sorrow,” he said. “Mama Muxima has quietly kept the heart of the Church alive and beating.”

On April 20, the pope flew east to Saurimo, near Angola’s largest diamond mine. There, he visited a nursing home housing 74 elderly residents, many rejected by their families due to superstitious beliefs.

“The care of the weakest is a sign of the quality of a nation’s social life,” he said. “The elderly must not only be assisted, but listened to, because they preserve the wisdom of a people.”

Celebrating Mass for tens of thousands, he also addressed exploitation linked to the diamond industry.

“How often the hope of many is frustrated by violence, exploited by the overbearing and defrauded by the rich,” he said.

“We were not born to become slaves,” he added. “Every form of oppression, violence and dishonesty negates the resurrection of Christ, the supreme gift of our freedom.”

– Equatorial Guinea –
The final leg of Pope Leo’s 11-day journey took him to Equatorial Guinea. Upon landing on the island of Malabo, the pope was welcomed by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who has ruled the oil-rich Central African nation since seizing power in a 1979 coup and is widely regarded as one of the world’s most authoritarian leaders.

Nevertheless, in his address to the country’s civil authorities, the pope appealed for justice and ethical governance in a country long criticized for corruption and human rights abuses.

Drawing from St. Augustine’s classic work “The City of God,” Pope Leo noted that the “city of God” is characterized by love, especially for the poor, while the “earthly city … is centered upon the proud love of self, on the lust for power and worldly glory that leads to destruction.”

“Every human being can benefit from the ancient realization of living on earth as a pilgrim,” he said. “It is essential to discern the difference between that which lasts and that which passes, remaining free from the pursuit of unjust wealth and the illusion of dominion.”

Celebrating Mass April 22 at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in the eastern city of Mongomo, the second-largest Catholic Church in Africa, the pope renewed his call to the country’s leaders and citizens to prioritize the common good.

“May the Lord help you to become a society in which everyone, each according to their respective responsibilities, works ever more fully to serve the common good rather than private interests, bridging the gap between the privileged and the disadvantaged,” he said.

In his final Mass in Malabo Stadium April 23, Pope Leo offered a word of hope to the country’s Catholics, urging them to seek strength, justice and hope from the Gospel and the sacraments.

Encouraging the faithful to “joyfully proclaim” that “Christ is everything for us,” Pope Leo reminded Christians that in Jesus, “we find the fullness of life and meaning.”

“Our problems do not disappear in the Lord’s presence, but they are illuminated,” he said. “Just as every cross finds redemption in Jesus, so too the story of our lives finds its meaning in the Gospel.”

As the Mass concluded, the pope bid farewell to the African continent, saying that his visit was “an invaluable treasure of faith, hope, and charity.”

Highlighting the continent’s significance, the pope said that “today, Africa is called to contribute significantly to the holiness and missionary character of the Christian people.”

“I entrust this intention to the intercession of the Virgin Mary, to whom I commend myself wholeheartedly, as well as your families, your communities, your nation, and all the peoples of Africa,” the pope said.