Pope Leo XIV addressed tens of thousands of faithful at an open-air Mass in the town of Kilamba near Luanda, Angola's capital, urging the country to overcome "divisions" and "corruption." The pontiff highlighted the nation's civil war-scarred past, which he said has brought "enmity and division, squandered resources and poverty."
"Today, there is a need to look to the future with hope and to build that hope. Do not be afraid to do so," Leo stated. The Pope arrived in the Portuguese-speaking nation on Saturday for the third leg of a four-country African tour that began in Algeria and Cameroon and will also include a stop in Equatorial Guinea.
In a meeting with Angolan officials, including President Joao Lourenco, Leo spoke out against the "suffering" and social and environmental "disasters" caused by the rampant exploitation of natural resources. These remarks in Angola, which endured a decades-long civil war ending in 2002, continued a theme of Leo's 11-day tour, during which he has delivered pointed warnings against corruption and the plunder of the continent's resources.
The first US-born pope has also made remarks perceived as critical of the US-Israeli war in Iran and US regime policy, including calling US President Donald Trump's threat to end Iran's civilization "unacceptable." The pontiff's rhetoric has put him at odds with Trump, who last week called the Catholic leader "weak" and "terrible for foreign policy."
Leo said he is not afraid of the Trump administration and will continue to speak out against war. However, traveling from Cameroon to Angola on Saturday, he also stated he has no interest in starting "a new debate" with the US president. Many attendees at the Mass in Kilamba arrived early in the morning in anticipation of the visit.
"The pope coming here is a joy," said Sister Christina Matende, who arrived around 6:00 a.m. (05:00 GMT). "We are living in a moment of a lot of difficulties, and we are waiting for the blessing of the pope." From Kilamba, Leo is to travel 110 km (70 miles) by helicopter to the town of Muxima, Angola's most venerated pilgrimage site, where a 300-year-old church overlooks a river that was once a major slave-trading route.
The church, with a statue of the Virgin Mary affectionately known as "Mama Muxima," draws roughly two million pilgrims annually, and large crowds are expected to meet the pope there. The pope is then due to travel over 800 km (497 miles) from the capital to visit a retirement home in Saurimo, where he will celebrate another Mass before departing for Equatorial Guinea.
Catholic lawyer Domingos das Neves said the pope's focus on social justice is welcome in Angola, which is struggling with "stark social asymmetries and inequalities." "Angola is in great need of a guiding light to illuminate our collective efforts both within ecclesiastical institutions and the state, so that we do not forget the poor and the destitute," das Neves told the AFP news agency.
Source: www.aljazeera.com