VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Pope Leo XIV’s 10-day trip to Africa comes at a moment of deep global fracture — from wars in the Middle East to rising geopolitical tensions — offering him a new stage to present his message of unity, interreligious dialogue and economic justice far beyond the continent.
Leo’s papal visit, the longest he has taken since his election almost a year ago, began in the context of rapid-fire criticism from President Donald Trump. In a post on Truth Social on Monday (April 13), Trump wrote that the pope is “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.”
Leo responded, saying he has “no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly the message of the Gospel,” while answering questions from reporters on Monday aboard the papal flight to the first leg of his trip in Algeria.
The trip traces a line from Africa’s colonial past to its present struggles, confronting both the legacy of slavery, in which the church itself was at times complicit, and the modern dynamics of economic exploitation that continue to shape the continent. Against a backdrop of rising global tensions, where political leaders increasingly invoke religion to justify war, scholars believe Leo will share a message that rejects an “us versus them” worldview and calls for unity through dialogue.
“I find this trip could not have come at a better time,” said the Rev. Emmanuel Katongole, professor of theology and peace studies at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. “I feel that if there is a place where you can highlight the modern challenges of our time, Africa provides a very, very good platform” because the “people really refuse to separate the Gospel from this struggle for everyday realities of p …
