Pope Leo XIV condemns resource extraction, calls for unity in Angola

Pontiff urges Angolans to overcome civil war divisions during third stop of four-nation Africa tour.

Pope Leo XIV called on Angola to break free from what he termed the "logic of extractivism" during a visit to the southern African nation on Saturday and Sunday, the third leg of a four-country tour of the continent¹⁴. Speaking to government officials including President João Lourenço in Luanda on Saturday, the pope criticized foreign exploitation of Angola's natural resources, stating that "powerful interests lay their claim" on the country's oil, diamonds and minerals⁴. "How much suffering, how many deaths, how many social and environmental disasters are brought about by this logic of extractivism," Leo said⁴. He also condemned "despots and tyrants" who promise wealth but fail to deliver, resulting in continued poverty³⁴.

On Sunday, Leo addressed an estimated 100,000 to 200,000 people at an open-air Mass in Kilamba, a sprawling housing development near the capital²³. The pontiff urged Angolans to "build together a country where old divisions are overcome once and for all, where hatred and violence disappear," referencing the nation's 27-year civil war that ended in 2002²⁵. He called Angola a "beautiful yet wounded country" and encouraged citizens to look to the future with hope²⁵.

At the conclusion of the Mass, Leo addressed international conflicts, calling for weapons to fall silent in Ukraine and for dialogue to prevail². He praised the recent ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon as "a reason for hope"².

Angola, one of sub-Saharan Africa's leading oil producers, has a population of 36.6 million, more than 30 percent of whom live on less than $2.15 per day according to World Bank figures³. More than half the country identifies as Catholic³. Leo's tour, which began in Algeria and Cameroon, will conclude with a stop in Equatorial Guinea⁵. The visit has coincided with ongoing public tensions between the pope and US President Donald Trump over comments Leo made regarding war and tyranny earlier in the tour¹²⁴.