Pope visits Algiers mosque and promotes human dignity

Speaking to reporters on his flight from Algiers to Yaoundé, Cameroon on April 15, the Pope thanked the “very small but very significant” presence of the Catholic Church in Algeria for their welcome.

Pope Leo XIV said Algerian Christians offer a profound witness of how to live in peace with their Muslim brothers and sisters, despite any cultural or religious differences.

“In two days in Algeria, we’ve really had a wonderful opportunity to continue to build bridges, to promote dialogue,” he said. “I think the visit to the mosque was significant and to say that although we have different beliefs, we have different ways of worshipping, we have different ways of living, we can live together in peace.”

On April 13, Pope Leo visited the Grand Mosque of Algiers, where he highlighted the site’s spiritual significance and paused in silent meditation.

Welcomed by the rector of the Mosque, Mohamed Mamoun al Qasim, who offered words of fraternity, the Pope said: “I thank you for these reflections and for these important words during this visit, from a place that represents the space that belongs to God, a divine and sacred space, where many people come to pray and to seek the presence of the Most High in their lives.”

He went on to recall his personal link to the country through St Augustine of Hippo, describing Algeria as “the land of my spiritual father”, and highlighted themes central to his address: the search for truth, the recognition of the dignity of every human being and the shared responsibility to build peace.

“To seek God,” he said, “also means recognising the image of God in every man and woman,” and he said that such recognition calls for mutual respect and coexistence.

On the flight to Cameroon, Pope Leo recalled his visits to the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa in Algiers and the Basilica of St Augustine in Annaba. Pope Leo upheld the legacy of the fifth-century St Augustine.

“He is still a very important figure today,” said the Pope, “as his writings, his teaching, his spirituality, his invitation to search for God and to search for truth is something that is very much needed today, a message that is very real for all of us today, as believers in Jesus Christ, but also for all people.”

At Annaba, Pope Leo said St Augustine’s reflections on the heart were central to the saint’s spirituality, adding that reform in the Church “must begin in the heart” and “encompass everyone if it is to be effective”, the National Catholic Reporter reported.  

FULL STORY

Pope: Algeria visit a ‘special blessing’ and opportuntity to promote dialogue (By Devin Watkins/Vatican News)

Pope visits Grand Mosque of Algiers and calls for mutual respect and peacebuilding (Vatican News)

In ancient Hippo, Pope Leo launches a vision for the church rooted in St. Augustine (National Catholic Reporter)