Pope Leo XIV condemns resource exploitation during Angola visit
Pontiff addresses 200,000 at Mass near Luanda, urging nation to overcome divisions from civil war past.
Pope Leo XIV condemns resource exploitation during Angola visit
Pontiff addresses 200,000 at Mass near Luanda, urging nation to overcome divisions from civil war past.
Pope Leo XIV criticized the exploitation of natural resources in Africa during a visit to Angola on Saturday, condemning what he called "despots and tyrants" who promise wealth but fail to deliver3. The remarks came during the third leg of a four-nation African tour by the first US-born pope.
Addressing President João Lourenço and political leaders in the capital Luanda, Leo said "powerful interests lay their claim" on Angola's natural resources, an apparent reference to foreign companies benefiting from the country's oil, diamond and critical minerals sectors3. "How much suffering, how many deaths, how many social and environmental disasters are brought about by this logic of extractivism," he said3.
Leo urged Angolans to work toward a society free from "slavery imposed by the elite who are laden with much wealth but false joys"3. The pope called on leaders to break the "cycle of interests" that have exploited the continent for centuries1.
On Sunday, an estimated 200,000 people gathered in Kilamba, a sprawling development near Luanda, for an open-air Mass with the pontiff24. Leo addressed the country's civil war past, which he said brought "enmity and division, squandered resources and poverty"4. "Today, there is a need to look to the future with hope and to build that hope. Do not be afraid to do so," he told the crowd4.
Angola is one of sub-Saharan Africa's leading oil producers, but more than 30 percent of its 36.6 million people live on less than $2.15 per day, according to World Bank data2. More than half the population identifies as Catholic2.
En route from Cameroon, Leo told reporters his earlier comments about "tyrants" were not directed at US President Donald Trump, with whom he has engaged in public disagreement this week3. "It was not in my interest at all" to debate Trump, Leo said, adding he would continue preaching peace and justice in Africa1. The tour also includes stops in Algeria and Equatorial Guinea4.