Pope Leo XIV urges Angolans to overcome divisions during mass for 100,000
First US-born pope calls Angola a 'wounded country' while condemning resource exploitation on four-nation Africa tour.
Pope Leo XIV urges Angolans to overcome divisions during mass for 100,000
First US-born pope calls Angola a 'wounded country' while condemning resource exploitation on four-nation Africa tour.
Pope Leo XIV addressed an estimated 100,000 worshippers at an open-air mass near Angola's capital Luanda on Sunday, urging the country to move beyond divisions created by its 27-year civil war that ended in 200223. The pontiff called Angola a "beautiful yet wounded country" and told attendees to "build together a country where old divisions are overcome once and for all, where hatred and violence disappear"234.
The mass at Kilamba, a sprawling housing development outside Luanda, marked one of the largest events of Leo's four-nation Africa tour23. Believers began arriving before dawn in hot and humid conditions, with some like Sister Christina Matende arriving around 6am23. "The pope coming here is a joy," Matende said. "We are living in a moment of a lot of difficulties"23.
At the conclusion of the mass, Leo decried the recent escalation in the Ukraine war, calling "for the weapons to fall silent and for the path of dialogue to be followed"234. He also praised the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon as a "reason for hope"23.
On Saturday, upon arriving in Angola from Cameroon, Leo condemned what he termed the "logic of extractivism" in a speech to political leaders including President João Lourenço114. "How much suffering, how many deaths, how many social and environmental disasters are brought about by this logic of extractivism," the pope said, referring to the exploitation of Angola's oil and mineral resources14. He denounced "despots and tyrants" who guarantee wealth but do not deliver on promises14.
Leo, the first US-born pope, has adopted a more forceful speaking style during his Africa tour, which has drawn criticism from US President Donald Trump234. En route to Angola, Leo told reporters it was "not in my interest at all" to debate Trump, but said he would continue preaching peace and justice1.
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 the World Bank13. More than half the population identifies as Catholic13. Vice President Esperança da Costa and First Lady Ana Dias Lourenço attended Sunday's ceremony7.