Pope Leo XIV described his visit to Algeria as “a truly blessed journey and visit.” He expressed this sentiment on April 15, 2026, shortly after departing Algiers for Yaoundé, Cameroon, during a brief greeting to the journalists accompanying him on this apostolic journey through Africa.

In less than fifteen minutes of informal conversation aboard the Ita Airways Airbus, the Pontiff thanked the nearly 70 media outlets present and shared his enthusiasm for the two intense days spent in the North African country, the birthplace of Saint Augustine and the scene of the first visit of a Pope to Algeria.

“A wonderful opportunity to continue building bridges and promoting dialogue,” summarized Leo XIV, visibly moved. He offered special thanks to the Algerian authorities for their generosity and respect, including providing an escort during the overflight. “It is a sign of the kindness of the Algerian people and government toward the Holy See and toward me personally,” he noted.

He also expressed his gratitude to the local Catholic Church, “small but very significant.” He recalled his visits on April 13 and 14 to the Basilica of Notre-Dame d’Afrique in Algiers and to the Basilica of St. Augustine in Annaba, on the hill overlooking the city and the ruins of ancient Hippo. For the Pope, these moments had “a powerful symbolic value.”

Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo for over thirty years, embodies both the tradition of the early Church and a message that remains remarkably relevant today: the search for God, truth, and unity among peoples “despite differences.” Leo XIV, who declared himself “a son of Saint Augustine” from the beginning of his pontificate, considered this visit “a special grace.” He emphasized that the Algerian people, the vast majority of whom are not Christian, deeply honor and respect the memory of the saint as one of their greatest sons.

The Pope emphasized the relevance of the Augustinian legacy: “The invitation to seek God and to seek the truth is a message that we so desperately need in the contemporary world, for believers in Jesus Christ and for every person.”

One of the most significant moments of the trip was the visit to the Grand Mosque of Algiers. There, Leo XIV recalled how, “despite different beliefs and ways of praying, we can live together in peace.” “Promoting this image is something the world needs today,” he affirmed, adding that this witness can continue to be offered along with the rest of the apostolic journey, which will continue in Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea.

In a friendly tone, the Pope wished the journalists “a wonderful trip” and thanked them again for their service before concluding the brief meeting.

The visit to Algeria, part of an eleven-day apostolic journey through four African countries, has left a clear message: respectful dialogue and the search for bridges between cultures and religions remain possible and necessary in a world marked by divisions.

A short but hopeful story that invites us to look with optimism at the steps that still need to be taken on this continent.