On Monday, April 13, 2026, Pope Leo XIV began his third international apostolic journey, this time to Africa. The first leg of his trip took him to Algeria, a predominantly Muslim country where no pope had ever set foot before. The papal flight departed from Rome’s Fiumicino International Airport at 9:06 a.m. local time aboard an ITA A330-900neo aircraft, covering 1,029 kilometers in approximately two hours, flying over Italy, France, and Algeria.

According to official information, the journey will include the traditional greeting of the Holy Father to the accompanying journalists, a photograph with the crew, and breakfast on board. The visit to Algeria will last until April 15 and is part of a broader itinerary that, from April 13 to 23, will also include Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea: eleven days, four countries, and a dozen cities.

A journey full of symbolism

Upon his arrival in Algiers, following the official welcoming ceremony at Houari Boumédiène International Airport, the Pope will pay homage to the Monument to the Martyrs (Maqam Echahid), erected in 1982 to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of Algerian independence. He will then pay a courtesy visit to the President of the Republic and meet with authorities, civil society representatives, and members of the diplomatic corps.

In the afternoon, the program includes a visit to the Grand Mosque of Algiers and the Welcome and Friendship Center of the Augustinian Missionary Sisters of Bab El Oued. At the latter, a tribute will be paid to the memory of two nuns murdered on October 23, 1994, during the Algerian Civil War. The day will conclude with a meeting with the small local Catholic community.

The following day, April 14, the Holy Father will travel to Annaba (ancient Hippo Regius), a city deeply connected to the life and ministry of Saint Augustine, bishop in the 5th century and father of the religious order to which Leo XIV himself (formerly Robert Francis Prevost) belongs. This detail does not go unnoticed: the Pope returns as successor of Peter to a land he already knew personally before his election.

Dialogue and encounter in a diverse continent

The Vatican has emphasized that this trip is characterized by the richness and diversity of the histories, cultures, and traditions of the countries visited. In Algeria, the first papal visit in history, a strong emphasis on interreligious dialogue and the promotion of peace is expected. The following destinations—Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea—have not received a Pope for more than thirty years, making the tour a highly significant ecclesial event.

The director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, recently presented to journalists the details of an itinerary that combines liturgical celebrations, meetings with civil and religious authorities, and symbolic gestures towards the poorest and minority Christian communities.

With this trip, Leo XIV presents himself as a pilgrim among “different peoples and worlds,” ready to listen and build bridges on a continent marked by its spiritual vitality and social challenges. The coming days will undoubtedly offer intense moments that the Vatican media and the international press will follow closely.

The journey has begun: from the heights of the papal plane to the streets of Algiers, a new chapter begins in the relations between the Holy See and the African continent.