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, from 396 until his death in 430 C.E.
It was a profoundly spiritual and emotional moment for “this son of St. Augustine,” as Leo called himself on the day of his election as pope. As prior general of the Augustinian order from 2001-13, he twice visited Algeria.
After the 70-minute flight from Algiers to Annaba, Leo was welcomed by the local authorities and accompanied to a canopied site looking out on the ruins of the ancient Christian basilica. He laid a wreath of flowers in honor of the saint and for peace in the world, as the choir of Annaba’s Institute of Music sang a hymn. Next, he stood and prayed in silence for a short while, then thanked the choir before departing.
It was a simple ceremony but of profound religious significance, not only for Christians but also for Muslims, Father José Maria Cantal, the Spanish-born Missionary of Africa (White Father), told me as we waited for the pope’s arrival. Father Cantal, who has been in Algeria since 2005, said Leo’s visit gives “encouragement to our small Christian community and gives us support to build bridges together with our Muslim partners, because we have very many common values and we must do what we can do together.” In the past, he said, “many Muslims did not know who exactly St. Augustine was, but they are coming to understand the long history now, also of the church, and they are very proud to discover that St. Augustine, a child of this land, is beloved around the world.”
He recalled that an international conference on St. Augustine was held here in 2001, organized by the Islamic High Council, “and this was the first step to officially recognize Augustine as Algerian.” (Then-Father Robert Prevost attended that conference as head of the Augustians.) Moreover, Father Cantal said that today’s event will help to make St. Augustine even better known because all the public events of the pope’s visit have been broadcast on national television.
From the archaeological site, Pope Leo went to visit a home for 40 elderly people run by the Little Sisters of the Poor, and there he greeted the staff and residents, most of whom are Muslim. He told them: “I am pleased to make this visit because God dwells here. Indeed, wherever there is love and service, God is there.”
The American missionary pope added:
I think that the Lord, looking down from heaven upon a house like this, where people strive to live together in fraternity, would say, “There is hope!” Yes, because God’s heart is torn apart by wars, violence, injustice and lies. But our Father’s heart is not with the wicked, the arrogant or the proud. God’s heart is with the little ones and the humble, and with them he builds up his Kingdom of love and peace day by day, just as you are striving to do here in your daily service, friendship and life together.
He assured them, “I will keep you in my prayers.”
Once his visit ended, he walked to the nearby house of the Augustinian community that has responsibility for the care of the adjacent Basilica of St. Augustine, built in 1934-35, where Leo would celebrate Mass later that afternoon. He was welcomed by the three Augustinian friars from Africa who form the community and had lunch with them.
Later that afternoon, he went to the basilica on the hill that overlooks the archaeological site to celebrate Mass for hundreds of faithful.
The church in Algeria is mainly made up of foreigners, including its priests and bishops. This was evident at the Mass, where one could see many from the sub-Saharan regions of Africa in the congregation, including one young man from Uganda who is studying biology in Algeria and had travelled more than 800 miles to see the pope; he had also seen Francis when he visited his country. This foreign presence in the church was reflected strongly at the offertory; those bringing the gifts to the pope were all African, both religious and lay people, and they were accompanied by African music, hymns and rhythmic movement.
There were also Algerian Muslims at the Mass, including one woman, a psychologist who gave her name as Sally. She told me, “I want to see harmony between Muslims and Christians, and so I came to listen to what the pope has to say, since I hear that he, too, wants that.”
After the proclamation of the Scripture readings in Arabic, English and French, Pope Leo gave his homily in French. Commenting on the Gospel of the day—the story of the conversion of Nicodemus—he said that “God’s word pervades history and renews it” and “today we listen to the Gospel, the Good News for all time, in this basilica in Annaba dedicated to St. Augustine, who was bishop here,” adding that “over the centuries, the names of the places that welcome us have changed, but the saints continue to serve as our patrons and faithful witnesses of a connection to the land that comes from heaven.”
“It is precisely this dynamic that the Lord revealed at night to Nicodemus,” he continued. “His is the strength that Christ instills in the weakness of his faith and the tenacity of his search!” Noting that Jesus led Nicodemus “to a new life” and said to him, “You must be born from above,” Pope Leo said it is also “the invitation for every man and woman who seeks salvation.” Indeed, “Jesus’ invitation gives rise to the mission of the whole church, and consequently to the Christian community in Algeria: to be born again from above, that is, from God.”
Pope Leo told them, “When we ask ourselves how a future of justice, peace, harmony and salvation will be possible, we must remember that we are asking God the same question that Nicodemus asked: Can our story truly change? We are so weighed down by problems, hardships and tribulations! Can we truly start our lives over again?”
Jesus’ answer is “yes,” he said, and his response is “so full of love, fills our hearts with hope. No matter how weighed down we are by pain or sin, the crucified One carries all these burdens with us and for us.”
He reminded them that “St. Augustine offers us an example of this: We revere him for his conversion even more than for his wisdom. In this rebirth, providentially accompanied by the tears of his mother, St. Monica, he found himself, exclaiming in his Confessions: ‘I could not therefore exist, could not exist at all, O my God, unless you were in me. Or should I not rather say, that I could not exist unless I were in you.’”
The Augustinian pope reminded the multi-faith congregation that “Christians are truly born from above, regenerated by God as brothers and sisters of Jesus” and “the church, that nourishes them with the sacraments, is the welcoming bosom for all peoples.”
He recalled that the Acts of the Apostles describes “the lifestyle that characterizes humanity when it has been renewed by the Holy Spirit.” He recalled that because the early Christians united in Christ, “everything they owned was held in common.”
“Faith in the one God, Lord of heaven and earth,” he said, “unites people according to perfect justice, which calls everyone to charity—that is, to love every creature with the love that God gives us in Christ.”
Therefore, he said, “in the face of poverty and oppression, the guiding principle above all for Christians is charity: Let us do to those around us, as we would have them do to us.”
He said: “The charity that motivates them is more than a moral commitment; it is a sign of salvation: The Apostles proclaim that our lives can change because Christ has risen from the dead.”
In this context, Pope Leo said, “The primary task of pastors as ministers of the Gospel is therefore to bear witness to God before the world with one heart and one soul, not permitting our concerns to lead us astray through fear, nor trends to undermine us through compromise.”
He told the Christians of Algeria, “You remain a humble and faithful sign of Christ’s love in this land” and encouraged them to “bear witness to the Gospel through simple gestures, genuine relationships and a dialogue lived out day by day: in this way, you bring flavor and light to the places where you live.”
He told them: “Your history is one of generous hospitality and resilience in times of trial. Here the martyrs prayed; here St. Augustine loved his flock, fervently seeking the truth and serving Christ with ardent faith.” He concluded with words of encouragement: “Be heirs to this tradition, bearing witness through fraternal charity to the freedom of those born from above as a hope of salvation for the world.”
From St. Augustine’s Basilica, Pope Leo returned by plane to Algiers and to the Vatican embassy, where he has resided during his stay here.
Tomorrow morning, April 15, he bids farewell to the president and the Algerian people, after a truly historic visit, and will take a five-hour plane ride to Cameroon, the next country on his visit to Africa.
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