Leo XIV continues his marathon African tour in Angola

Pope Leo

Previously, the American pope will conclude his three-day visit to Cameroon with an open-air mass at Yaoundé airport, before flying to Luanda, capital of Angola, where he is expected at 3:00 p.m. (2:00 p.m. GMT) and will deliver a first speech to the authorities.

After John Paul II (1978-2005) in 1992 and Benedict XVI (2005-2013) in 2009, Leo XIV is the third pontiff to visit this country, which belatedly gained independence from Portuguese colonial power in 1975.

Elected in May 2025, the head of the Catholic Church, until now more discreet and measured than his Argentinian predecessor François (2013-2025), has come out of his restraint in recent days to adopt a more assertive style, a few days after having been violently criticized by American President Donald Trump.

Welcomed with popular jubilation in Cameroon, he is expected to once again move huge crowds in Angola until his departure on Tuesday morning.

Some 44% of the population, or around 15 million Angolans, identify as Catholic, according to a 2024 census in this southern African country, which emerged bloodless in 2002 from a murderous civil war triggered in the wake of independence.

"It's as if God is very close to us, so we can only welcome him with open arms. Africa thanks, Angola thanks, it has an immense meaning that I don't know how to describe," enthuses Helena Maria Miguel, a 40-year-old human resources manager.

- AI and social injustices -

Despite the hyperdependence of its economy on variations in oil prices and rampant corruption which ended up catching up with the family of former president José Eduardo dos Santos (1979-2017), the country is pursuing a policy of investment in infrastructure.

It thus houses the regional project of the Lobito corridor, named after an Angolan port on the Atlantic coast, through which minerals extracted from the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia must ultimately pass, transported by rail.

During his stop in Cameroon, Leo XIV became the slayer of social injustices, attacking "those who, in the name of profit, continue to seize the African continent to exploit and pillage it".

He also warned Friday against the use of artificial intelligence to fuel "polarization, conflicts, fears and violence."

In Angola, Luanda has a brand new international airport. On the 50 km of road linking the airport to the city center, motorists can see, between two hazardous overtakes, large signs announcing the road.