Pope Leo XIV urges Angola to overcome divisions, condemns resource exploitation
The pontiff addressed an estimated 100,000 people at Mass near Luanda during the third leg of his four-nation African tour.
Pope Leo XIV urges Angola to overcome divisions, condemns resource exploitation
The pontiff addressed an estimated 100,000 people at Mass near Luanda during the third leg of his four-nation African tour.
Pope Leo XIV urged Angolans to move beyond decades of internal conflict during a Mass attended by an estimated 100,000 people on Sunday in Kilamba, a housing complex near the capital Luanda23. The event marked one of the largest gatherings of the pontiff's four-nation African tour, which has also included stops in Algeria, Cameroon and will conclude in Equatorial Guinea6.
Addressing the crowd in the dirt field, Leo called Angola a "beautiful yet wounded country" and urged Angolans to "build together a country where old divisions are overcome once and for all, where hatred and violence disappear"23. Angola experienced a civil war from 1975 to 2002 that the pope said brought "enmity and division, squandered resources and poverty"6.
Attendees began arriving before dawn in hot and humid conditions23. Sister Christina Matende, who arrived around 6am, said the papal visit was "a joy" and that Angolans were "living in a moment of a lot of difficulties"234.
At the conclusion of the Mass, Leo called for weapons to "fall silent" in Ukraine and for dialogue to resume23. He also praised the recent ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon as "a reason for hope"23.
On Saturday, the pope delivered pointed remarks to Angolan political leaders, condemning what he described as exploitation of the country's natural resources. "How much suffering, how many deaths, how many social and environmental disasters are brought about by this logic of extractivism," Leo said5. He criticised "despots and tyrants" who promise wealth but fail to deliver, leading to "suffering and deaths"45.
Leo urged Angolans to work toward a society free from "the slavery imposed by the elite who are laden with much wealth but false joys"5. The remarks appeared to reference foreign companies operating in Angola's oil, diamond and critical minerals sectors5.
Angola is one of sub-Saharan Africa's leading oil producers, though more than 30 percent of its 36.6 million people live on less than $2.15 per day, according to the World Bank4. More than half the population identifies as Catholic4.
The pope's African tour has occurred amid public tensions with US President Donald Trump. En route from Cameroon to Angola, Leo told reporters that earlier comments about "tyrants" were not directed at Trump and that it was "not in my interest at all" to debate the president15.