Pope Leo XIV has arrived in Algeria for the first papal visit to the country, calling for peace on the opening stop of a tour of Africa that signals the continent\u2019s growing importance to the Catholic church.<\/p>\n
The 11-day trip, which will include stops in Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea<\/a>, is the longest by Pope Leo since being elected to the papacy in May last year.<\/p>\n The choice to visit Africa<\/a> sends a powerful signal that the continent is one of the church\u2019s top priorities, according to academics and theologians.<\/p>\n Adriaan van Klinken, a professor of religion and African studies at the University of Leeds, said this reflected shifting demographics, with Africa home to one of the fastest-growing Catholic populations and accounting for about 20% of Catholics worldwide. By contrast, the Catholic population in western Europe is in decline.<\/p>\n \u201cAfrica is the site of vitality, of growth, of the future of the church,\u201d Van Klinken said.<\/p>\n In the last year alone, 14 new dioceses have been created across Africa, with the Catholic population growing by 7 million, according to John Pontifex, from the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need UK. \u201cA focus on Africa this early on in Pope Leo\u2019s pontificate no doubt reflects a sense that in terms of Catholicism<\/a> this is a continent that is coming of age,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The pope, on arrival at Algiers international airport on Monday, was welcomed by Algeria\u2019s president, Abdelmadjid Tebboune. He was later taken to the Maqam Echahid, a monument that commemorates those who died in the 1954-62 Algerian war for independence against French colonial rule.<\/p>\n Father Peter Claver Kogh, the rector of the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa in Algiers, described the visit as a moment to strengthen bonds between Christian and Muslim communities, and solidify \u201cthe desire to have a climate of peace and tolerance among these two religions\u201d.<\/p>\n He added: \u201cThat is what the world needs now \u2013 a world of fraternal living and living in harmony. That will be the utmost importance of this visit for Christians and Muslims who are here, and all those who desire to live in peace and harmony.\u201d<\/p>\n Pope Leo visits the Great Mosque Of Algiers with the mosque\u2019s rector, Mohammed al-Mamoun al-Qasimi al-Hassani. Photograph: Guglielmo Mangiapane\/Reuters<\/p>\n