Mr President,
Distinguished Officials and Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am deeply grateful for the invitation to visit Algeria, which came at the very beginning of my Petrine Ministry, and I thank you for your warm welcome! You know that, as a spiritual son of Saint Augustine, I have already visited Annaba twice: in 2004 and 2013. I am grateful for the mysterious plan of divine providence that has arranged for me to return here again as Successor of Peter. I am here among you as a pilgrim of peace, eager to meet the noble Algerian people. We are brothers and sisters, for we have the same Father in heaven. The profound religious sense of the Algerian people fosters a culture of encounter and reconciliation, of which my visit also seeks to be a sign. In a world full of conflicts and misunderstandings, let us meet and strive for mutual understanding, recognizing that we are all one family! Today, the simplicity of this awareness is the key to opening many doors that are closed.

Dear brothers and sisters, I am likewise here among you as a witness to the peace and hope that the world so ardently desires, and that your people have always sought. Indeed, your people have never been defeated by their trials because they are imbued with a spirit of solidarity, hospitality and community that is woven into the daily lives of millions of humble and upright people. They are the truly strong ones, to whom the future belongs: those who do not allow themselves to be blinded by power or wealth, and those who refuse to sacrifice the dignity of their fellow citizens for the sake of personal or collective gain. In this regard, I have heard from many how the Algerian people show great generosity toward both their fellow citizens and foreigners. This disposition reflects a hospitality deeply rooted in Arab and Berber communities, a sacred duty which we would hope to find everywhere as a fundamental social value. Similarly, almsgiving (sadaka) is a common and natural practice among you, even for those of limited means. The word sadaka can also mean justice, in the sense that we do not keep things for ourselves, but share what we have as a matter of justice. The one who accumulates wealth and remains indifferent to others is unjust. This view of justice is both simple and radical for it recognizes the image of God in others. Indeed, a religion without mercy and a society without solidarity are a scandal in God’s eyes. Yet many societies that consider themselves advanced are plunging ever deeper into inequality and exclusion. Africa knows all too well that people and organizations that dominate others destroy the world, which the Most High has created in order that we might all live together.

The difficult experiences that you have faced throughout history give your country a particularly important perspective on the global balance of power. If you are able to engage in dialogue regarding the concerns of all and show solidarity with the sufferings of so many countries near and far, then you will be able to contribute to both envisioning and bringing about greater justice among peoples. By respecting the dignity of everyone and allowing yourselves to be moved by the pain of others, instead of multiplying misunderstandings and conflicts, you can surely become protagonists of a new chapter in history. Today, this is more urgent than ever in the face of continuous violations of international law and neocolonial tendencies.

My predecessors already clearly perceived the epochal significance of this challenge. Benedict XVI observed that “the processes of globalization, suitably understood and directed, open up the unprecedented possibility of large-scale redistribution of wealth on a world-wide scale; if badly directed, however, they can lead to an increase in poverty and inequality, and could even trigger a global crisis” (Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate, 42). Pope Francis, drawing on his extensive experience of the tensions present in the Global South, highlighted the importance of what can be understood only on the peripheries of the great centers of power and decision-making. Pope Francis wrote, “What is needed is a model of social, political and economic participation ‘that can include popular movements and invigorate local, national and international governing structures with that torrent of moral energy that springs from including the excluded in the building of a common destiny’” (Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti, 169).

I therefore urge those of you who hold positions of authority in this country not to fear this outlook but to promote a vibrant, dynamic and free civil society, in which young people in particular are recognized as capable of helping to broaden the horizon of hope for all. The true strength of a nation lies in the cooperation of everyone in pursuing the common good. Authorities are called not to dominate, but to serve the people and foster their development. Political action thus finds its guiding criterion in justice, without which there can be no authentic peace, and is expressed in the promotion of fair and dignified conditions for all. The Catholic Church, too, through her communities and initiatives, wishes to contribute to the common good of Algeria, strengthening its distinctive identity as a bridge between North and South, and between East and West.

The Mediterranean, on the one hand, and the Sahara, on the other, represent geographical and spiritual crossroads of immense significance. If we delve into their history, free from simplifications or ideologies, we discover immense treasures of humanity hidden there. For the sea and the desert have been places of mutual enrichment among peoples and cultures for millennia. Woe to us if we turn them into graveyards where hope also dies!  Let us free these tremendous reservoirs of history and of the future from evil!  Let us multiply oases of peace; let us denounce and remove the causes of despair; and let us oppose those who profit from the misfortune of others! For illicit are the gains of those who exploit human life, whose dignity is inviolable. Let us, then, unite our strength, spiritual energy, intelligence and resources, so that the land and the sea may become places of life, encounter and wonder. May their majestic beauty touch our hearts; may their boundless expanse prompt us to reflect on transcendence. The Mediterranean, the Sahara and the vast sky above them whisper to us that reality surpasses us on all sides, that God is truly great, and that everything lives in his mysterious presence.

This insight has enormous consequences for our understanding of reality, yet many today underestimate its significance. On closer inspection, Algerian society too is familiar with the tension between religious sensibility and modern life. Here, as across the world, opposed dynamics of fundamentalism and secularization tend to manifest themselves, causing many to lose an authentic sense of God and of the dignity of all his creatures. Consequently, religious symbols and words can become, on the one hand, blasphemous languages of violence and oppression, or on the other, empty signs in the immense marketplace of consumption that does not satisfy us.

These absurd polarizations, however, must not dishearten us. They must be confronted with intelligence. They are a sign that we are living in an extraordinary time of great renewal, in which those who keep their hearts free, and their consciences alert, can draw from the great spiritual and religious traditions new ways of seeing the world and an unshakable purpose in life. We must educate people in critical thinking and freedom, in listening and dialogue, and in the trust that leads us to recognize in those who are different fellow travelers and not threats.  We must work together toward the healing of memory and reconciliation among former adversaries. This is the gift I desire for you, for Algeria, and for all of its people, upon whom I invoke the abundant blessings of the Most High.