Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday began the second of a two-day visit to Algeria, the first leg of his landmark African tour. He called it an opportunity to "promote peace". Several rights groups are calling on the leader of the Catholic Church to raise the issues of human rights and religious freedom with the authorities.
The pope called his trip to Algeria "a very precious opportunity" to promote "peace and reconciliation with respect and consideration for all peoples".
The US-born pope began his visit with a call for forgiveness in a speech paying tribute to victims of the country's war of independence from France (1954-1962).
"In this place, let us remember that God desires peace for every nation," he said at the Algerian Martyr's Memorial in the capital. "This peace, which allows us to face the future with a reconciled spirit, is possible only through forgiveness."
The remarks, his first since arriving in the North African nation, come at a time of heightened tensions between Algeria and France, and follow his meeting days ago with French President Emmanuel Macron in the Vatican.
Algeria is home of Saint Augustine (354-430), an influential Christian theologian, who laid the foundations for the 13th-century Augustinian order to which Leo belongs, one based on communal living and service.
Pope Leo sets off on African tour focused on peace and unity
In Algiers, the atmosphere of celebration pervaded the air, with walls repainted, roads repaved and green spaces adorned with plants and flowerpots.
On his first stop, the pope met with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and was also set to address diplomats.
Monday's itinerary also included a visit to the Great Mosque of Algiers, home to the world's highest minaret, and the Basilica of Notre-Dame d'Afrique, overlooking the Bay of Algiers.
On Tuesday, Leo will visit the northeastern city of Annaba, formerly the ancient Roman city of Hippo, the one-time home of the saint whose autobiographical Confessions is a seminal work within the Christian tradition.
Leo also plans to pray privately in the chapel dedicated to 19 priests and nuns murdered during Algeria's 1992-2002 civil war.
The pope will not, however, visit the Tibhirine monastery, whose monks were kidnapped and murdered in 1996 in an event still shrouded in mystery.
Calls on Algeria to promote 'dynamic, free' civil society
Pope Leo XIV urged authorities in Algeria on Monday "not to fear" greater public participation in political life, calling for a "vibrant, dynamic and free civil society".
Although Algeria's constitution guarantees freedom of worship, subject to conditions, human rights groups say the repression of religious minorities is continuing.
Since the pro-democracy Hirak protests in 2019, which called for sweeping reforms and greater transparency, human rights groups have reported shrinking freedoms and greater controls over public space.
"The true strength of a nation lies in the cooperation of everyone in pursuing the common good," the pope said during the first day of his visit to the Muslim-majority country.
"Authorities are called not to dominate, but to serve the people and foster their development. Political action thus finds its guiding criterion in justice, without which there can be no authentic peace," he added.
Algeria continues to face questions over murder of French monks, 30 years on
Three human rights groups had called on Leo last week to push the issue during his visit. Human Rights Watch alongside EuroMed Rights and MENA Rights Group urged Leo to raise the issues of human rights and religious freedom with the authorities.
In a joint letter addressed to the pope, they were "writing to bring your attention to key pressing human rights concerns in the country".
"We call on you to use your good offices to raise these concerns with the Algerian authorities in private as well as in your public communications surrounding the visit and call on them to uphold their obligations under international human rights law," the letter said.
Foreign policy
The pope has also criticised as "unacceptable" Donald Trump's threats against civilians in Iran, although he did not name the US president, and he has also previously criticised the administration's "inhuman" treatment of migrants.
Trump called the pontiff "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy", suggesting that cardinals only elected Leo pope in May 2025 because he was American, and a potential bridge to Washington.
Leo responded with: "We're not politicians, we're not looking to make foreign policy as he calls it with the same perspective that he might understand it."
The papal visit to Africa will continue in Cameroon on Wednesday, followed by Angola and Equatorial Guinea, and will cover more than 18,000 kilometres between 13 and 23 April.
(with AFP)
