He told them: “Only in this way will a future of hope be possible, especially for the many young people who have lost it.”
Gerard O’Connell
Gerard O’Connell is America’s senior Vatican correspondent and author of The Election of Pope Francis: An Inside Story of the Conclave That Changed History. He has been covering the Vatican since 1985.
Posted inNews
Pope Leo in Angola: ‘Put the common good before partisan interests’
In his first speech on arrival in Luanda, the capital of Angola, Pope Leo called on the state authorities to “put the common good before partisan interests, never confusing your part for the whole.”
Posted inVatican Dispatch
Pope Leo: I am ‘not trying to debate the president’
Some journalists have sought to interpret Leo’s statements in Africa in an anti-Trump light, even though they were all written many days before the president made his statement on social media.
Posted inVatican Dispatch
Pope Leo preaches on hunger to 120,000 at Mass in Cameroon
Pope Leo drew attention to the food crisis and the poverty that is causing great suffering for so many people, even though the land is rich in agricultural and other resources.
Posted inVatican Dispatch
Pope Leo denounces those who use the name God for military gain
“Blessed are the peacemakers! But woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth.”
Posted inVatican Dispatch
Pope Leo to Cameroon’s leaders: Break the ‘chains of corruption,’ invest in young people
In a speech that seemed targeted at those in positions of power, Pope Leo said that “serving one’s country means dedicating oneself, with a clear mind and an upright conscience, to the common good of all people in the nation.”
Posted inVatican Dispatch
Pope Leo on plane to Cameroon: St. Augustine invites us to search for God and truth
On the five-hour flight from Algiers to Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, Pope Leo, looking relaxed and in good spirits, spoke for about 10 minutes to the press corps about his visit to Algeria, which he described as “a very blessed trip.”
Posted inVatican Dispatch
Pope Leo walks in the footsteps of St. Augustine in Hippo
On his second day in Algeria, Leo XIV, the first Augustinian pope, visited the archaeological site of ancient Hippo, modern-day Annaba, where once stood the church—“the Basilica of Peace”—where St. Augustine was bishop for 34 years.
Posted inVatican Dispatch
Pope Leo in Algeria: ‘The future belongs to men and women of peace’
“The true struggle for liberation will be definitively won only when peace in our hearts has finally been achieved,” Leo said upon his arrival in Algeria.
Posted inVatican Dispatch
Pope Leo’s first trip to Africa: what you need to know
Pope Leo sets out on a 10-day visit to Africa on April 13. He will visit four countries: Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea.