Pope Leo tells Angola during huge Mass to ‘build hope’

On the 3rd limb of his Africa tour, Leo urges Angola to determination beyond “divisions” created by its war-scarred past.

Pope Leo XIV has addressed tens of thousands of faithful adjacent Angola’s capital, urging the state to flooded “divisions” and “corruption” during a landmark circuit of Africa.

Speaking astatine an open-air Mass connected Sunday successful the municipality of Kilamba connected the outskirts of Luanda, Leo addressed the country’s civilian war-scarred past that helium said has brought “enmity and division, squandered resources and poverty”.

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“Today, determination is simply a request to look to the aboriginal with anticipation and to physique that hope. Do not beryllium acrophobic to bash so,” Leo said.

The pontiff arrived successful the Portuguese-speaking federation connected Saturday for the 3rd limb of a four-nation circuit of the continent, which began successful Algeria and Cameroon and volition besides see a halt successful Equatorial Guinea.

At a gathering with Angolan officials, including President Joao Lourenco, Leo spoke retired against the “suffering” and societal and biology “disasters” caused by the rampant exploitation of earthy resources.

The remarks successful Angola, which endured a decades-long civilian warfare that ended successful 2002, continued a taxable of Leo’s 11-day tour, during which helium has delivered pointed warnings against corruption and the plunder of the continent’s resources.

The archetypal United States-born pope has besides delivered remarks seen arsenic captious of the US-Israeli warfare successful Iran and US policy, including calling US President Donald Trump’s threat to extremity Iran’s civilisation “unacceptable”.

The pontiff’s rhetoric has enactment him astatine likelihood with Trump, who past week called the Catholic person “weak” and “terrible for overseas policy”.

Leo said helium is not acrophobic of the Trump administration and volition proceed to talk retired against war. But travelling from Cameroon to Angola connected Saturday, Leo besides said he has nary interest successful starting “a caller debate” with the US president.

‘Waiting for pope’s blessing’

Many radical who attended the Mass astatine Kilamba arrived aboriginal successful the greeting successful anticipation.

“The pope coming present is simply a joy,” said ‌Sister Christina Matende, who arrived astir 6am (05:00 GMT). “We are surviving successful a infinitesimal of a batch of difficulties, and we are waiting for the blessing of the pope.”

People be a Mass led by Pope Leo XIV successful Kilamba, Angola [Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters]

From Kilamba, Leo is to question 110km (70 miles) by chopper to the municipality of Muxima, Angola’s astir venerated pilgrimage site, wherever a 300-year-old religion overlooks a stream that was erstwhile a large slave-trading route.

The church, with a statue of the Virgin Mary known affectionately arsenic “Mama Muxima”, draws astir 2 cardinal pilgrims a twelvemonth and ample crowds are expected to conscionable the pope there.

The pope is past owed to question much than 800km (497 miles) from the superior to sojourn a status location successful Saurimo, wherever helium volition observe different Mass earlier departing for Equatorial Guinea.

Catholic lawyer Domingos das Neves said the pope’s absorption connected societal justness was invited successful Angola, which is struggling with “stark societal asymmetries and inequalities”.

“Angola is successful large request of a guiding airy to illuminate our corporate efforts some wrong ecclesiastical institutions and the state, truthful that we bash not hide the mediocre and the destitute,” das Neves told the AFP quality agency.