The first Pontiff in modern history to have direct knowledge of Africa, Pope Leo XIV, since his time as head of the Augustinian Order, had personally visited all regions of the continent: central, southern, western and sub-Saharan Africa.
On board the papal flight from Rome to Algiers, Pope Leo told journalists: “As early as last May, I said that for my first trip I would like to visit Africa. Many immediately suggested Algeria to me because of Saint Augustine.”
Eleven days, eighteen flights, over 18,000 kilometres: Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea. The journey included 25 speeches and homilies, eight public Masses, meetings with presidents, bishops and imams. In his interventions, the Pope highlighted the Church’s works of mercy through his encounters with prisoners, orphans and the elderly and by meeting hundreds of thousands of faithful. His remarkable gift for languages was evident: “he spoke to us in French, Portuguese, Spanish and English to establish personal contact with the different local populations.”
Blessed Are the Peacemakers
In an historic address to the authorities in Cameroon on 15th April, the day of his arrival, Pope Leo spoke directly about the humanitarian, political and social crisis that has afflicted the country for a decade. He described the human cost in stark terms: lives lost, families displaced, children deprived of education, and a generation of young people left without hope, while praising the country’s cultural and linguistic diversity as a “treasure” rather than a burden.
A key moment of the visit took place in Bamenda, at the heart of a region torn apart by separatist violence for ten years. The Pope presided over a meeting for peace at St Joseph’s Cathedral. Around the table sat a traditional leader, a Presbyterian Moderator, an Imam and a Catholic nun. “An evocative image that will nourish our imagination for a long time,” said Elisabeth, a resident of Bamenda: “a Pope surrounded by representatives of different faiths and communities in a city at the heart of an ongoing conflict, who calls for dialogue instead of violence, reconciliation instead of revenge.”
The Pope addressed the entire community, including people who had travelled many kilometres from the North-West and South-West regions, overcoming fear and obstacles to be present. He thanked all those who choose each day to build bridges and heal wounds. But he also issued a warning “to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic or political gain.” He denounced those, he said, “who rob your land of its resources generally invest much of the profit in weapons, thus perpetuating an endless cycle of destabilization and death.”
“Dear Young People, You Are the Beloved Children of the African Land!”
The Pope’s second day in Cameroon was entirely dedicated to young people. Leo XIV chose to directly address this vibrant and dynamic youth in his homily that, first before 120,000 faithful at the Japoma Stadium in Douala and then before students at the Catholic University of Central Africa. He repeatedly urged young people to resist the temptations of emigration, corruption and the illusions of the digital world. Underlying his message—repeated twice that day—was a clear conviction: the future of the continent will be built here, not elsewhere.
At the Japoma Stadium, the Pope did not shy away from the country’s reality, speaking openly about both material and spiritual poverty. He invited the young people “to make your noble spirit the prophetic voice of a new world,” drawing inspiration from the Acts of the Apostles: “the first Christians gave courageous witness to the Lord Jesus in the face of difficulties and threats”. Recalling their perseverance even amid suffering, he urged them to “Reject every form of abuse or violence, which deceives by promising easy gains but hardens the heart.” He reminded them of their true wealth: “faith, family, hospitality and work.” To illustrate his message, Pope Leo XIV referred to Blessed Floribert Bwana Chui, a Congolese martyr killed in 2007 for refusing, in his role as a customs officer, to allow a shipment of counterfeit medicines to pass through. He is presented as a model of resistance to corruption and an example for African youth. The Pope concluded with a powerful invitation: “Become Good News for your country.”
Form “Minds Capable of Discernment”
In the afternoon in Yaoundé, the Pope was welcomed at the Catholic University of Central Africa, a leading institution in the region that attracts over 5,000 students each year, particularly from Gabon, Chad and Equatorial Guinea. Around 8,000 people gathered to greet him with the enthusiasm typical of the academic world.
Addressing this audience of young Africans, Pope Leo XIV spoke about pressing and sensitive issues: corruption, artificial intelligence and its risks, migration and more.
He placed at the centre of his reflection the tension between the temptation to emigrate and responsibility towards one’s own country. “In the face of the understandable tendency to migrate, which may lead one to believe that elsewhere a better future may be more easily found, I invite you, first and foremost, to respond with an ardent desire to serve your country”, he told the students. He reminded them that the university was founded thirty-five years ago precisely to form “witnesses of wisdom and justice, of which the African continent needs.”
Speaking about artificial intelligence, the Pope warned with unusual gravity: “When simulation becomes the norm …. We thus come to live within bubbles, impermeable to one another. Feeling threatened by anyone who is different.” His conclusion was direct: “In this way, polarization, conflict, fear and violence spread. What is at stake is not merely the risk of error, but a transformation in our very relationship with truth”
The Pope also highlighted the environmental and human cost borne by Africa in the extraction of cobalt, an essential mineral for the batteries which power data centres and internet-connected devices. He spoke plainly: “the darker side of the environmental and social devastation caused by the relentless pursuit of raw materials and rare earths” must be denounced.
Liliane Mugombozi (Cameroon)
Photo: Courtesy of the Apostolic Nunciature in Cameroon
Algeria is the largest African country by land area, and of its 48 million inhabitants, Christians make up less than 1%. It is the country Pope Leo XIV chose as the first stop of his African journey, which will then take him to Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea. He arrived on April 13, 2026, and his initial meetings with the Algerian community highlighted the life and work of interreligious organizations and initiatives that have been active in the country for many years, often little known.
One of these is the Focolare Movement, a network dedicated to spiritual unity that arrived in predominantly Muslim Algeria in 1966. Its activities in the country are animated by Muslim members—mostly women—who take part by working in small groups throughout Algeria. They offer assistance in local centers for the elderly, provide tutoring for students, or study together with them.
The experience of a “true” faith—one that “does not isolate but opens, unites without confusing, draws close without imposing uniformity, and fosters genuine fraternity”—was shared in French by Monia Zergane, a Muslim woman whose life has become “a sign of hope for our world.” In the services of the Catholic Church in Algeria, Christians and Muslims work “side by side,” she explained, sharing the same concerns: “to welcome, serve, listen, care for the most vulnerable, organize, secure financial resources, and ensure that activity centers are safe places that uphold human dignity.” It is a service to the most “vulnerable”—women, children, the elderly, the sick—lived “together” and capable of creating a “real fraternity,” she said, grounded in the conviction that “to serve humanity is first and foremost to serve God.” This commitment, she emphasized, is nourished by all the “beautiful” qualities brought into play: skills, dedication, patience, forgiveness, compassion, and kindness.
She also spoke of brothers and sisters who were an “immense help and comfort” to her during illness, recalling with gratitude how she “could rely on their closeness, their unwavering solidarity, their gentleness, and their prayers.” In particular, the presence of a Focolare community and the daily effort to put love of neighbor into practice, she acknowledged, “often challenges me and helps me understand that life is not primarily made up of great, visible works, but of a communion lived day by day.” Aware that fraternity is also built through “simple gestures—a smile, a greeting that comes from the heart, a kind word, a service offered without expecting anything in return—and through the small things of everyday life: exchanging good wishes for a feast, sharing a meal after a time of fasting, listening to the spiritual meaning of a celebration.”
25th March 2026 – The event was held in the Sala della Conciliazione of the Lateran Palace where, after decades of conflict, the Catholic Church and the Italian State signed the Lateran Treaties in 1929. In this same historic place, in 2013, the diocesan phase of the Cause of Beatification of one of the most important spiritual figures of our time concluded: the Vietnamese Card.François-Xavier Nguyễn Vân Thuân.
220 people were present, Cardinals, Bishops, family members, priests, nuns and lay people from Vietnam and other countries. Thousands more were connected via streaming in seven languages on Vatican Media’s YouTube channels. The reason for this gathering was the occurrence of 50th anniversary since Nguyễn Vân Thuân, then a young Bishop, in the first months of his imprisonment that began on 15th August, 1975, managed to send his faithful 1,001 short meditations written on scraps of old calendars. The event was organized by the Cause of Beatification of the Vietnamese Cardinal, together with the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development which is responsible for the Cause, in collaboration with the Dicastery for the Clergy, the Diocese of Rome and Città Nuova Publishing House.
Pope Leo marked the occasion with a Message signed by Card. Parolin, Secretary of State, expressing the hope that “this significant event will foster a renewed appreciation of the fervent witness of such ac courageous disciple of the Gospel and generous Shepherd”. His example – he continued – “is profoundly relevant today because it reminds us that Christian hope is born from an encounter with Christ and takes shape in a life given to God and neighbour”.
Cardinal Baldassare Reina, the Pope’s Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome, welcomed the participants. He recalled the relevance of Nguyễn Vân Thuân’s life in the aftermath of the Jubilee of Hope, at a time when the Gospel is transmitted above all through witness.
Cardinale Baldassare ReinaDr. Waldery HilgemanSig.ra Élisabeth Nguyễn Thị Thu Hồng
But who was this Vietnamese Cardinal? A brief biographical sketch was offered by Dr. Waldery Hilgeman, Postulator for the Cause of Beatification. A descendant of a family that in the nineteenth century included martyrs among its ancestors, from a young age François-Xavier was attracted by the example of the saints and later to contemporary spiritual movements, including the Cursillos and the Focolare. He entered the seminary, became a priest and obtained a doctorate in canon law. In 1967 he was consecrated Bishop of Nha Trang. When Paul VI appointed him Coadjutor Archbishop of Saigon in 1975, a long trial began: he was arrested and spent thirteen years in prison, of which nine in solitary confinement. He later recounted that there he learned “to choose God and not the works of God”. He understood that God wanted him to be with the other prisoners, almost all non-Catholic, as a presence of God and of His love, “in hunger, in cold, in hard labour, in humiliation and injustice”. He was released in 1988. He lived in Rome from 1991, where John Paul II appointed him first Vice President and then President of the then Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and in 2001 made him a cardinal.
Elisabeth Nguyễn, the Cardinal’s sister, recounted the remarkable story of the 1001 thoughts. Smuggled out from house arrest, “they began a journey of evangelization from one family to another, from one prison cell to another, before crossing the oceans with the boat people“. Years later, they became the book The Road of Hope.
Powerful and moving experiences, augmented, halfway through the meeting, by a piano piece performed masterfully by Don Carlo Seno: “La Campanella” by Franz Liszt.
Over the course of just an hour and a half, guided by the journalist Alessandro De Carolis of Vatican Media, additional aspects of Nguyễn Vân Thuân’s life emerged. Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy, spoke of him as an “evangelizer in every circumstance”, recounting the testimony of a Buddhist monk: “It was winter, it was two degrees below zero and we did not have enough blankets in the re-education camp. The Bishop would go out several times every day to collect branches and pieces of wood to heat the camp at night… He was what we Buddhists call a “Bo tac”: a very holy man. ”
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, recalled how in 1995 a personal friendship was born with Nguyễn Văn Thuận: “I was struck by the fact that, while he recounted painful and even humiliating experiences, his voice remained calm and his face serene. There was no hint of bitterness or hatred in him. I couldn’t take my eyes off his radiant and smiling face. ”
Along with his spiritual stature, his deep concern for global issues of justice and peace emerged. Cardinal Michael Czerny SJ, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development spoke of this. For the occasion, he had published the Italian translation of a new biography of Nguyễn Văn Thuận, written by his sister Elisabeth together with the Belgian priest Stefaan Lecleir.
Cardinale Michael Czerny, S.J.Cardinale Luis Antonio TagleCardinale Lazzaro You Heung-sik
Card. Czerny explained, “His main contribution at a global level was his role in the development of the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (2004)”. He then referred to a striking question posed by the Vietnamese Archbishop: “Faced with the current political and economic situation, some wonder: will we be able to cross the threshold of the new millennium with hope?” In response, he cited a well-known journalist who predicted “three catastrophic phases” for impoverished societies: exploitation – exclusion – elimination. “When I think of all this,” commented Nguyễn Văn Thuận, “my heart is torn and I would like to shout: ‘impossible’.”
At the end of the event, the actor and journalist Rosario Tronnolone read some passages from The Road of Hope that resound like the golden seal: “You want to carry out a revolution: to renew the world. You will be able to accomplish this precious mission that God has entrusted to you, only through “the power of the Holy Spirit”. Every day, where you live, prepare a new Pentecost. Commit yourself to a campaign that aims to make everyone happy. Sacrifice yourself continually, with Jesus, to bring peace to souls, development and prosperity to peoples. Let this be your spirituality, discreet and concrete at the same time. “
“In order to hold on firmly to your faith, you must choose the Road of Hope followed by the disciples of Christ”. This is one of the 1001 thoughts addressed by the then Archbishop François Xavier Nguyễn Văn Thuận to his faithful during his long years of imprisonment for his faith: a collection of reflections, warnings, and encouragements, later collected in the book “The Road of Hope”, considered the “spiritual testament” of the Vietnamese Cardinal, declared Venerable by Pope Francis.
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the book’s publication, the Cause for Beatification of Cardinal Văn Thuận and the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, which is acting as the promoter of the cause, together with the Dicastery for the Clergy, the Città Nuova Publishing House, and the Diocese of Rome, wish to honor the memory of the Vietnamese Cardinal by celebrating a conference entitled “François Xavier Nguyễn Văn Thuận. Witness of Hope ”.
The event will be held on March 25 in Rome, at the Sala dei Trattati Lateranensi, in the Palazzo Apostolico Lateranense, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Ms. Élisabeth Nguyễn Thị Thu Hồng, sister of Cardinal Văn Thuận, will be present.
Through the testimony of those who knew him, and with excerpts and music from his writings, the conference aims to highlight the relevance of Cardinal Văn Thuận today: a faithful pastor who was able to transform his experience of imprisonment into a space of prayer, forgiveness, and sacrifice, showing how the light of the Gospel can overcome all darkness. His words convey a message of hope, a universal spiritual heritage.
His Eminence Cardinal Baldassare Reina, Vicar General of His Holiness for the Diocese of Rome, will open the proceedings. Speakers will include His Eminence Cardinal Michael Czerny, S.J., Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development; Dr. Waldery Hilgeman, Postulator of the Cause for Beatification of Cardinal Văn Thuận; His Eminence Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy; His Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization.
Don Carlo Seno, priest of the Diocese of Milan and director of the “Vinea mea” Spirituality Center, will perform on the piano.
The meeting will be moderated by journalist Alessandro De Carolis of Vatican Radio – Vatican News.
During the conference, the Italian edition of the new biography of Cardinal Văn Thuận, written by his sister Élisabeth and published by Città Nuova Editrice, will be presented, with a preface by Cardinal Michael Czerny.
The event is open to the press, upon request for accreditation at the Holy See Press Office, and will be available via streaming in Italian, with simultaneous translation into English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and Vietnamese.
By the Cause for the Beatification of Cardinal Văn Thuận
The life, works, and spirituality of Cardinal Văn Thuận are also illustrated on the website dedicated to him, in several languages, at https://www.cardinalvanthuan.va/it.html
