PHOTOS: Pope Leo XIV departs Cameroon, journeys to Angola
Pope Leo XIV continued his apostolic journey in Africa on April 18, saying Holy Mass in Cameroon before departing for Angola on the next leg of his visit.
The Holy Father will spend several days in Angola before finishing his trip in Equatorial Guinea. This is his first papal trip to the continent.
Here are some of the highlights of Pope Leoʼs latest activities during his trip:
Pope Leo XIV urges Angola to ‘remove the obstacles to integral human development’
LUANDA, Angola — Pope Leo XIV on April 18 called on Angola’s leaders and people to “remove the obstacles to integral human development,” urging them to choose the path of the common good, resist exploitative interests, and preserve the hope and joy that, he said, remain among Africa’s greatest treasures.
The pope spoke at the presidential palace in Luanda during his meeting with authorities, civil society, and the diplomatic corps, the first public event of the Angola leg of his broader trip to Africa.
Arriving in Luanda earlier in the day, Leo traveled by popemobile through jubilant crowds lining the route to the palace. He also held a private meeting with Angolan President João Lourenço before delivering his address.
At the outset of his speech, the pope expressed solidarity with those affected by recent flooding in the country.
“Before continuing, I would like to offer the assurance of my prayers for the victims of the heavy rains and floods that have struck the province of Benguela, and to express my closeness to the families who have lost their homes,” he said. “I also know that you, the people of Angola, are united in a great chain of solidarity with those affected.”
His remarks came against the backdrop of mounting social strains in Angola, including protests last year over fuel price increases, repeated criticism by the country’s bishops over entrenched corruption, and deadly flooding in early April.
Leo framed his address around themes that have marked earlier stops on his Africa trip, including peace, reconciliation, the common good, and criticism of those who exploit the continent for personal gain.
Speaking in Portuguese, the pope praised the Angolan people for possessing “treasures that cannot be bought or taken away.”
“In particular, there dwells within you a joy that not even the most adverse circumstances have been able to extinguish,” he said. This joy, he added, “is no stranger to sorrow, indignation, disappointment and defeat,” yet continues to be reborn in those who have resisted “the seductions of wealth.”
The pope sharply criticized patterns of exploitation directed at Africa.
“You know well that all too often people have looked — and continue to look — to your lands in order to give, or, more commonly, in order to take,” he said. “It is necessary to break this cycle of interests, which reduces reality, and even life itself, to mere commodities.”
Leo described Africa’s joy and hope as “virtues that I would not hesitate to call ‘political,’” because “her young people and her poor continue to dream and to hope.” He said they “are not content with what already exists; they strive to rise above, to prepare themselves for great responsibilities, and to take an active part in shaping their own future.”
He also emphasized that authentic social transformation cannot be imposed ideologically.
“Indeed, the wisdom of a people cannot be stifled by any ideology, and the longing for the infinite that dwells in the human heart is a principle of social transformation far deeper than any political or cultural program,” he said.
The pope said he had come to “listen to and encourage all those who have already chosen the paths of goodness, justice, peace, tolerance and reconciliation,” while also praying “for the conversion of those who choose contrary paths and hinder its harmonious and fraternal development.”
Turning to Angola’s natural wealth, Leo warned against what he called a destructive extractive logic.
“How much suffering, how many deaths, how many social and environmental disasters are brought about by this logic of extractivism!” he said. At every level, he added, it supports “a model of development that discriminates and excludes, while still presuming to impose itself as the only viable option.”
He said Africa “urgently needs to overcome situations and dynamics of conflict and enmity that tear apart the social and political fabric of many countries, fostering poverty and exclusion.”
Only encounter allows life to flourish, the pope said, and dialogue must come first, even when disagreements emerge.
“Angola can experience great growth if, first of all, those who hold authority in the country believe in the manifold nature of its riches,” he said. “Do not be afraid of disagreement; do not suppress the ideas of the young or the dreams of the elderly; and know how to manage conflicts by transforming them into paths of renewal. Place the common good before every particular interest, never confusing your own part with the whole. History will then vindicate you, even if in the near term some may oppose you.”
Leo then returned to the themes of joy and hope, describing them not as merely private sentiments but as forces with public and political consequences.
“Despots and tyrants of both body and spirit seek to render souls passive and passions gloomy; they prefer a populace prone to inertia, docile and subservient to power,” he said.
Sadness, he argued, leaves people vulnerable to fear, fanaticism, manipulation, and isolation from public life. By contrast, “true joy frees us from such alienation,” he said, calling joy “a gift of the Holy Spirit.”
“Joy intensifies life and leads to the creation of community,” the pope said. “Joy knows how to carve paths even in the darkest zones of stagnation and hardship.”
He concluded with an appeal for moral and social renewal.
“Let us therefore examine our own hearts, dear friends, because without joy there is no renewal; without interiority there is no liberation; without encounter there is no politics; without the other there is no justice.”
Leo said the Catholic Church wants to help Angola become “a project of hope” by fostering a just model of coexistence, especially in poor urban neighborhoods and remote rural areas.
“Let us remove the obstacles to integral human development, working and hoping together alongside those whom the world has discarded but whom God has chosen,” he said.
This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Pope Leo XIV says debate with Trump is 'not in my interest at all’
ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE — Pope Leo XIV arrived in Angola after a two-and-a-half-hour flight from Cameroon on April 18, using the short journey to reject suggestions that his recent remarks about war were aimed at U.S. President Donald Trump while reflecting on the pastoral focus of his African trip.
In a brief in-flight press conference with journalists, the pope addressed the interpretation of some of his recent speeches as a response to criticism from Trump, who had accused him of weakness in foreign policy.
“[T]hereʼs been a certain narrative that has not been accurate in all of its aspects, but because of the political situation created when on the first day of the trip, the President of the United States made some comments about myself,” the pope said.
“Much of what has been written since then has been more commentary on commentary, trying to interpret what has been said.”
He pointed in particular to his address at the April 16 prayer meeting for peace in Cameroon.
“Just one little example, the talk that I gave at the prayer meeting for peace a couple days ago was prepared two weeks ago, well before the president ever commented on myself and on the message of peace that I am promoting,” he said.
“And yet, as it happens, it was looked at as if I was trying to debate again the president, which is not in my interest at all.”
Leo XIV said he intends instead to continue proclaiming the Gospel and promoting peace.
“So we go on the journey, we continue proclaiming the Gospel message,” he said.
He added that the liturgies during the trip have highlighted what it means to follow Christ, promote fraternity, and seek justice and peace.
The pope also said the broader African journey has been shaped by themes that emerged at the start of the trip in Algeria, especially the figure of St. Augustine.
“I was personally very pleased, as you know, we began the trip in Algeria with the theme of Saint Augustine, and yesterday at the Catholic University, we had the blessing of that beautiful monument that they had prepared with a map of Africa and Saint Augustine at the center,” he said.
“And so in one sense, it expresses part of what this trip is about.”
Leo XIV emphasized that his primary purpose in Africa is to accompany Catholics.
“And I primarily come to Africa as pastor, as the head of the Catholic Church, to be with, to celebrate with, to encourage and accompany all of the Catholics throughout Africa.”
He also referred to a meeting with imams in Cameroon, describing it in general terms as part of the Church’s continuing commitment to interreligious dialogue, understanding, and peace-building.
He concluded his main remarks by thanking journalists for their work and expressing hope that God would continue to bless the journey.
Responding later to a French journalist, Leo XIV expressed gratitude for the reception he received in Cameroon.
“I would just like to thank everyone in Cameroon for the wonderful welcome, the great enthusiasm, the joy of the people,” he said.
“It was absolutely fantastic, the experience ... how wonderful it is to experience what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ and to celebrate our faith together.”
The pope’s flight took him from Yaoundé to Luanda, crossing over Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Angola. Angola is the third and penultimate stop of his African journey.
The Catholic Church has longstanding ties with Angola. Formal relations date back centuries, including the 1608 appointment of Antonio Manuel Nyunda as the first ambassador to Rome from the then-Kingdom of Kongo.
More recently, in 2019, the Holy See and Angola signed an agreement recognizing the legal personality of the Catholic Church and defining its property rights.
This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Pope Leo’s Algeria visit revives memory of pro-independence clergy
Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Algeria has revived memories of Catholic clergy who sided with Algerians during the struggle for independence, often at considerable personal cost, ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, reported Tuesday.
Among the most prominent was Cardinal Léon-Étienne Duval, who defended the Algerian people’s right to self-determination and condemned torture during the war, drawing fierce criticism from French colonial circles. Archbishop Henri Teissier continued that line, grounding his ministry in solidarity, dialogue, and a lasting identification with the Algerian people. Bishop Jean Scotto became known for his outspoken opposition to “French Algeria,” while Father Alfred Berenguer argued publicly against colonial violence and for equal citizenship. Bishop Pierre Claverie, later assassinated in Oran in 1996, embodied a Christian presence rooted not in domination but in respect, dialogue, and fidelity to Algeria even in times of bloodshed.
Pope Leo’s stop at the Martyrs’ Memorial gave fresh visibility to that often-overlooked chapter of Catholic witness in North Africa.
Tanzanian bishop dies days after appointment to Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication
Bishop Bernardin Francis Mfumbusa of the Diocese of Kondoa in Tanzania has died at the age of 64, less than a week after Pope Leo XIV appointed him to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication.
In a statement announcing the death of Mfumbusa and signed by the secretary-general of the Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC), the conference president said the bishop died on April 14 at 5:45 a.m. while receiving treatment at Benjamin Mkapa Hospital in Dodoma, ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, reported Tuesday.
“It is with deep sorrow that we lose this relatively young bishop, who was 64 years old,” said TEC Secretary-General Father Charles Kitima in an April 14 video. “Initial treatment showed signs of hope, but by last night his condition worsened, and eventually the time came when he left us.”
Pontifical Society of the Holy Childhood urges creative faith formation at Slovakia conference
European leaders of the Pontifical Society of the Holy Childhood urged renewed “creativity in the new evangelization” at a gathering in Bratislava, Slovakia, this week, Fides News Agency reported Thursday.
The April 12–16 conference focused on finding ways to reach children through evangelization, with participants from roughly 20 countries sharing pastoral experiences.
Participants heard calls from speakers including Sister Inês Paulo Albino, secretary-general of the Pontifical Society of the Holy Childhood, and Archbishop Nicola Girasoli, the apostolic nuncio to Slovakia, who stressed missionary zeal and cultural adaptation in spreading the Gospel.
Kenyan bishops commend government for ‘relative peace,’ urge defense of marriage
The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops has lauded the Kenyan government for maintaining relative peace in the country while raising concern over growing threats to human life, the institution of marriage, and key public systems.
“We thank God for the relative peace in our country, aware that many parts of the world lack this peace. We in particular pray for peace in the Middle East and anywhere else where people are suffering due to wars,” the bishops said at a press briefing, according to an ACI Africa report on Friday.
The bishops also expressed concern over challenges in the civil registration of marriages, including bureaucratic delays, inefficiencies, and a shortage of marriage certificates, which they said are discouraging couples from formalizing unions. “These conditions have discouraged many from contracting marriage, as the statistics show,” they said.
Vietnamese film on Catholic dating appeals to broad audience
A Vietnamese-language film examining Catholic dating has grossed nearly $2 million after two weeks at the box office, according to a UCA News report Friday.
“Hẹn Em Ngày Nhật Thực” (“See You on the Day of the Eclipse”) follows the romance of a Catholic woman and non-Catholic man as they navigate the question of whether their relationship is possible.
“Its success is striking not only because of its subject matter but also because of the audience response,” the report said. “Many viewers — including non-Catholics — have reacted positively to a film that portrays religious life with unusual nuance.”
Education workshop in Indonesia urges collaboration between Church and state
Church leaders in the Diocese of Timika in Central Papua, Indonesia, called for the strengthened partnership between the Indonesian government and the Catholic Church amid teacher shortages and student dropouts in remote areas.
Deputy Regent of Mimika Emanuel Kemong urged local governments to work “in synergy” with the diocese to help improve the educational system, Licas News reported Friday. “This is a space for the encounter of ideas and shared struggles — a place where we reflect on the future of Catholic education in Papua,” he said in the wake of the April 13–16 gathering.
Church and state leaders congratulate new Chaldean patriarch
Formal and ecclesial messages poured in after the Chaldean Synod elected Archbishop Amel Shamon Nona as the new patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, taking the name Patriarch Paul III Nona, ACI MENA reported Monday.
Iraqi President Nizar Amidi, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, and Parliament Speaker Haybat al-Halbousi were among the senior officials who congratulated him, each emphasizing coexistence, national unity, and the historic role of Iraq’s Christians.
Church leaders across the region followed suit, including Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignatius Joseph III Younan, Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rai, Coptic Catholic Patriarch Ibrahim Isaac, and heads of the Assyrian Church of the East, the Ancient Church of the East, and the Syriac Orthodox Church, reflecting the broad ecclesial significance of the election.
Church bells rang in Chaldean communities worldwide, while Nona’s hometown of Alqosh, Iraq, marked the moment with public celebration.
John Prevost discusses life as the pope’s brother: 'We always knew that he had that calling'
Before becoming Pope Leo XIV, Robert Prevost and his older brothers John and Louis grew up living “normal” lives like any other family.
Life was “like anyone elseʼs,” John Prevost said in an April 17 interview with “EWTN News In Depth.”
“It was regular — go to school, come home, do your homework, go out and play, come in, do your studying, go to bed, and then just repeat that.”
“Rob was in Cub Scouts. We were all altar servers,” he said. “I think we were all in the choir … We all went to Catholic education all the way through high school. So I think it was normal. We were out playing. Youʼd play outside until dusk.”
Recalling memories from his childhood, Prevost said: “One time we were building a shed in the backyard and Rob fell through the roof. It was just part of the wood was rotted, because we were using old doors from the house for the roof.”
Prevost and his brothers were also on “Bozoʼs Circus” in 1960. “It was a kids' program produced by the Chicago local channel WGN. It was an everyday show, and tickets were hard to get. But one of the guys who was in the WGN band taught music to the kids at my dadʼs school.”
“So he said, ‘If you kids ever want to go to “Bozoʼs Circus”’ — well, we jumped at the chance because we were on TV.”
Aside from the funny memories he has of his brothers, Prevost also reflected on his faith during his childhood.
Faith “starts in the home, and then it just gradually would grow and develop. But I think it starts in the home,” he said. “I know periodically our dad would take the Bible out and read Bible stories. We always prayed before dinner. Our parents always, every evening after dinner, prayed the rosary.”
Becoming Pope Leo XIV
Pope Leo always wanted to be a priest, and “from a young age, we always knew that he had that calling,” Prevost said.
“When he was maybe first grade or second grade, one of the moms across the street did say to us when we were out there playing, ‘You know, heʼs gonna be the first American pope,’” he said.
Now as the pope, he “talks about important issues and the way we should take on some of these issues,” Prevost said. He said he is focused on working with the “disenfranchised” and “ignored.”
Pope Leo “has the patience of a saint,” Prevost said. “If you ask me a question … I come out and give you an answer. He would take a lot of time to think about it before he responded, and therefore itʼs a whole lot deeper in perspective than mine off the top of my head.”
In his role as pope, Prevost said he believes his brother is bringing people to the faith. He said: “Iʼve had people come to the door and tell me … ‘I wanted to let you know because of your brother, Iʼm coming back.’”
“I think youʼre seeing that across the country. Because of him, people are coming back to church,” he said.
Life as the popeʼs brother
As the pope’s brother, you have to take it “day by day because you never know, in a sense, what each day is going to bring,” Prevost said.
“Itʼs always interesting, but itʼs sometimes sad … you feel powerless of what people are looking for, and they expect me to be able to help, and I canʼt necessarily do anything for them except listen,” he said.
For the most part, Prevost said his relationship with his brother is the same as it was prior to his papacy, besides it being “more long distance now.” Despite the distance, the brothers still communicate daily.
“One of the first questions I ask is, ‘Did you meet anyone famous today?’ And then on Wednesdays, heʼs got that general audience with the crowds … I always ask, ‘Did you get any gifts?’”
Prevost joked about the amount of gifts Pope Leo receives, which are often treats. “Heʼs got two closets full of them now, so people could stop sending Peeps,” he joked.
The pair also stays in touch by playing the Wordle and Words with Friends. “Itʼs a trade-off. He beats me in Wordle. I usually beat him in Words with Friends,” Prevost said.
Catholic education
Prevost, who worked in Catholic schools as a teacher and a principal, also spoke about the “the importance of Catholic school education.”
In Catholic school, “values are started,” he said. “And I worry sometimes that Catholic schools unfortunately are becoming too expensive for the average person to afford, and if itʼs only going to become something for the wealthy people. I hope not.
“But I see the importance of setting values and of setting modes of standard of behavior that the Catholic school can do, I think, somewhat in a different way than regular public school education can do.”
In Catholic school, “we can teach religion, we can pray,” he said. “We can somehow bring religion into a math class. Not to say that ‘thereʼs six angels here, two go away, how many angels are left?’” he joked.
“But the whole atmosphere and the whole philosophy in the Catholic school is the prime reason we are here, to instill and indoctrinate and teach the Catholic faith to the students,” he said.
Justice Department report: Biden administration targeted pro-life activists
The Biden administration “weaponized” federal law against pro-lifers, according to a more than 800-page report issued by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The April 14 report details how the Justice Department under Biden weaponized the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, including collaboration with pro-abortion groups to target pro-life advocates.
The report said the Justice Department “affirmatively asked pro-abortion groups about pro-life individuals’ travel and constitutionally protected advocacy,” the Justice Departmentʼs press release on the report indicated.
“The Biden DOJ and career attorneys monitored pro-life activists for years before charging them,” the press release stated.
The Justice Department also said: “Prosecutors knowingly withheld evidence that defense counsel requested to prepare an affirmative defense, tried to screen out jurors based on religion, and authorized aggressive arrest tactics instead of allowing pro-life defendants to self-surrender.”
The Biden administration also “helped a pro-abortion group secure funding” and “pursued significantly harsher sentences for pro-life defendants than violent pro-abortion defendants,” according to the department.
“No department should conduct selective prosecution based on beliefs,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement.
Arkansas lawsuit challenges laws that protect unborn babies
Six women and an OB-GYN, Dr. Chad Taylor, filed a lawsuit against Arkansas laws protecting unborn children, saying that the laws are unconstitutional.
In an April 9 motion, two women joined the original four in the lawsuit, asking the court to halt Arkansas’s laws protecting unborn children through a preliminary injunction.
The 75-page motion alleged that the pro-life laws are unconstitutional per the state constitution and that the laws “lack any rational relationship to protecting life, health, or any other legitimate state interest.”
Filed by Amplify Legal, the litigation arm of Abortion in America, the motion is the latest development in an ongoing lawsuit that began on Feb. 2.
The lawsuit highlighted testimonies from women who were denied abortions by their state, including one who sought an abortion for her ectopic pregnancy out of state after local hospitals were unhelpful, as well as women seeking abortions for babies with life-threatening issues or who were conceived by rape.
Ectopic pregnancies are life-threatening for both the mother and the baby. Arkansas law allows abortions in life-threatening situations “to save the life of a pregnant woman in a medical emergency.”
Every state in the U.S. allows abortion if the woman’s life is at risk.
Pro-life groups call out Justice Department for siding with abortion drug industry
More than 70 pro-life groups urged the U.S. Department of Justice to “stop siding with the abortion drug industry against pro-life states” in a letter this week.
Addressed to acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, the letter highlights the harm of the federal policy allowing mail-order abortion drugs on both women and the integrity of state laws.
Louisiana, Florida, and Texas, and Missouri, Idaho, and Kansas sued the FDA in three separate cases, seeking to protect their citizens from the harms of abortion drugs and to halt policies that undermine their state laws. The Justice Department dismissed all three cases.
“Tragically, to date, this Department of Justice has downplayed the harms of mail-order abortion and called for each case to be paused or even dismissed entirely,” the April 13 letter read.
“When abortion drugs are available through the mail, there is no accountability, state laws are made impotent, and women and girls are hurt. This is a harmful and politically dangerous path,” the letter continued.
“The DOJ and FDA have the authority and the duty to act immediately,” SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement. “Voters across the board strongly support it and the GOP base demands it.”
Judge rules Oregon law requiring insurance to cover abortion is unconstitutional
A federal judge in Oregon ruled that a state law requiring insurance plans to cover abortion and contraception violates the constitutional rights of Oregon Right to Life, a group that advocates against abortion.
The temporary ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Mustafa Kasubhai this week is a win for the pro-life group, but the full ruling won’t be available for at least another week.
The ruling found that the stateʼs 2017 Reproductive Health Equity Act can’t apply to Oregon Right to Life. The law compels all health insurance companies to “not impose on an enrollee a deductible, coinsurance, copayment, or any other cost-sharing requirement” for contraceptives and abortions. The law has an exemption for religious beliefs but not conscience rights.
Oregon Right to Life sued in 2023, saying that while it did not qualify for the religious exemption, the law violated the groupʼs First Amendment rights. In 2024, a different federal judge disqualified Oregon Right to Life from the exemption because it was not a religious organization. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit reversed this ruling in 2025.
Oregon Right to Life Director Lois Anderson called the recent ruling “a victory for all pro-life Oregonians.”
Pope Leo XIV in Cameroon says no one should face life’s hardships alone
YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon — Pope Leo XIV on Saturday celebrated Mass at Yaoundé-Ville Airport in the final public event of his apostolic journey to Cameroon, telling thousands of faithful that “no one must be left alone to confront life’s adversities.”
Before departing later in the day for Angola, the pope reflected on the Gospel account of Jesus walking on the water and tied it to the fears, crises, and social challenges faced by both individuals and nations.
“Dear brothers and sisters, peace be with you! It is the peace of Christ, whose presence illuminates our path and calms life’s storms,” Leo said. “As we heard in the Gospel, faith does not spare us from tumult and tribulations. At times, it can seem that fear has the upper hand. However, we know that even in these moments, Jesus does not abandon us.”
Drawing from St. John’s account of the disciples at sea, the pope said that in Jewish tradition, water “often calls to mind the netherworld, chaos, danger and death,” while also recalling the Exodus, when God led his people through the waters to freedom.
“Throughout the ages, the Church has navigated many storms and ‘strong winds,’” he said. “We too can identify with the feelings of fear and doubt experienced by the disciples while crossing the lake of Tiberias.”
Such moments, he said, come when people feel overwhelmed, alone, and weak. “But it is not so,” the pope said. “Jesus is with us always, stronger than any power of evil. In every storm, he comes to us and repeats: ‘I am here with you: do not be afraid.’”
Today’s Mass was the votive Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of the Apostles. The Prayer of the Faithful was recited in French, English, Ewondo, Nnanga, and Fulfulde. Many faithful were present, and a colorful crowd took part in the Mass with singing and dancing.
A particularly striking moment was the singing of the Gloria in the Ewondo language, performed by a choir of one thousand men and women from across the ecclesiastical province of Yaoundé.
Another distinctive moment was the procession of the Lectionary, led by traditional chiefs of the Ewondo culture. It underscored how the Word of God is the message of a King, worthy of a royal accompaniment before being solemnly proclaimed.
Leo said Christ does not always calm the storm immediately, but instead comes near in the midst of danger and teaches his followers to remain together in the same boat.
“He invites us not to distance ourselves from those who suffer, but to draw near to them, to embrace them,” the pope said. “No one must be left alone to confront life’s adversities. For this reason, every community has the obligation to create and sustain structures of solidarity and mutual aid in which, when faced with crises — be they social, political, medical or economic — everyone can give and receive assistance according to their own capacity and needs.”
The pope then widened his reflection to social and political life, saying Jesus’ words “It is I” remind Christians that every person’s contribution matters in a society founded on respect for human dignity.
“The exhortation ‘do not be afraid,’ then, takes on a broader meaning, even at a social and political level, as an encouragement to confront problems and challenges — particularly those associated with poverty and justice — together, with a sense of civic and civil responsibility,” he said.
“Faith does not separate the spiritual from the social,” Leo continued. “Indeed, it gives Christians the strength to interact with the world, responding to the needs of others, especially the weakest.”
He warned that isolated efforts are not enough to save a community and said what is needed is “a communal commitment, which integrates the spiritual and moral dimensions of the Gospel in the heart of local institutions and structures, making them instruments for the common good, and not places of conflict, self-interest or sterile struggles.”
Referring to the day’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, the pope recalled how the early Church faced its first internal crisis when some members were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. The Apostles, he said, responded by gathering together, praying, and creating new structures of service for the good of the community.
“Listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit and being attentive to the cry of the suffering, they not only avoided division within the community, but they also equipped it with new instruments suitable to its growth, transforming a moment of crisis into an occasion of enrichment and development for everyone,” he said.
Leo said family and social life also sometimes require “the courage to change mindsets and structures,” so that the dignity of the human person remains central and inequality and marginalization can be overcome.
“God who became man identified himself with the least, and this makes the preferential care for the poor a fundamental part of our Christian identity,” he said.
At the close of the Mass, the pope bid farewell to the people of Cameroon, praising the local Church for its vitality and harmony.
“The Church in Cameroon is alive, young, blessed with gifts and enthusiasm, energetic in its variety and magnificent in its harmony,” he said. “With the help of the Virgin Mary, our Mother, may your joyful presence continue to blossom.”
He added that the “strong winds, which are never lacking in life,” can become opportunities for growth “in the joyful service of God and your brothers and sisters through sharing, listening, praying and the desire to grow together.”
This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Pope Leo XIV in Africa: 7 things to know about the Catholic Church in Angola
After his apostolic visits to Algeria and Cameroon, Pope Leo XIV now heads to Angola, where the Catholic Church is a historically rooted, socially influential religious institution that remains central to the country’s spiritual, cultural, and public life.
Here are seven key things to know about the Catholic Church in Angola:
1. The Church here is historically rooted and a majority presence.
The Catholic Church is the largest single religious institution in Angola, with estimates suggesting that between 40% and 55% of the population identify as Catholic.
The presence of the Catholic Church in Angola dates back to the late 15th century, when Portuguese explorers and missionaries arrived along the Angolan coast, making Catholicism one of the earliest organized religious traditions in the country.
Over centuries, through colonial rule, the struggle for independence, and a prolonged civil war that ended in 2002, the Church has remained embedded in Angolan society. This long history has shaped not only religious practice but also education, language, culture, and national identity, giving the Catholic Church a credibility few institutions enjoy.
2. Church leaders regularly speak to the nation’s conscience.
In postwar Angola, the Catholic Church has emerged as a prominent moral and social voice, frequently addressing issues of reconciliation, justice, governance, and national healing.
Last November, the executive secretary of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Angola and São Tomé (CEAST) described the 2025 National Reconciliation Congress as a “historic moment of hope and renewed commitment” by Angolans still grappling with the scars of conflict as they work toward peace and national unity.
ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, reported that Father Celestino Epalanga, an Angolan member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), expressed appreciation to civil and religious authorities who supported the Congress, especially CEAST and all dioceses of Angola, noting that the meeting brought together representatives of political parties, professional associations, academic institutions, and faith communities.
The engagement reflects the Catholic Church’s broader self-understanding as a companion of the Angolan people — not only a spiritual guide but also a guardian of human dignity and social cohesion.
3. The Church in Angola has a nationwide institutional footprint.
The Catholic Church’s influence in Angola is reinforced by a robust institutional presence that extends across the entire country. Organized into dioceses and archdioceses covering all regions, the Catholic Church in Angola runs thousands of parishes and outstations.
Beyond pastoral ministry, the Catholic Church also plays a major role in education and health care, operating primary and secondary schools, vocational institutions, hospitals, and clinics.
Among the flagship institutions of the Church in Angola is the Catholic University of Angola, which contributes to intellectual formation and public discourse.
The Catholic Church’s work in Angola is underpinned by a formal legal framework governing relations between the Angolan state and the Holy See. The Framework Agreement, signed on Sept. 13, 2019, commits both parties to cooperation for the spiritual and material well-being of all while respecting the dignity and rights of the human person.
Under the agreement, the Angolan state recognizes the juridical personality of the Catholic Church and its ownership of Church property, providing a stable legal basis for the Church’s pastoral, educational, health care, and social activities nationwide.
The strength of this Church-state collaboration was highlighted in March 2024 when Archbishop Giovanni Gaspari, then-apostolic nuncio to Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe, described the partnership as “wonderful.”
4. Unity, communion, and fraternity are key pastoral themes in Angola.
In a society marked by ethnic, political, and social diversity, Catholic bishops in Angola have repeatedly stressed unity as a Gospel imperative and a national necessity.
During the 2024 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (WPCU), Auxiliary Bishop António Lungieki Pedro Bengui of the Luanda Archdiocese urged the faithful to “preserve the values of unity, communion, and fraternity.”
Bengui said the three values are at the heart of the WPCU initiative, which members of the Council of Christian Churches in Angola had convened.
“I think that as men and women who believe in God, who follow Jesus, we are in a position to preserve these values,” the bishop told journalists after the Jan. 19, 2024, ecumenical prayer session that brought together Christians from the United Methodist Church, the Catholic Church, the Salvation Army Church, and the Anglican Church, among others, at Our Lady of Fátima Catholic Parish in the Luanda Archdiocese.
The bishopʼs emphasis resonates deeply in a country emerging from decades of division, positioning the Catholic Church as a bridge-builder — both within Christianity and across society more broadly.
5. The Church is on the front lines of migration.
Angola’s geographic location places it at the crossroads of regional instability, particularly from neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
In response, the Catholic Church has taken on a visible humanitarian role, especially in border areas. As ACI Africa reported in February 2025, Church leaders have stressed their readiness to welcome displaced people as brothers and sisters “seeking relief.”
Speaking to ACI Africa on Feb. 12, 2025, the executive secretary of the Episcopal Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants (CEPAMI) in Angola said that the Catholic Church, through the Pastoral for Migrants, was on alert at border dioceses, particularly in Uíje Diocese and Mbanza Congo Diocese, to welcome the refugees.
“We are prepared at the borders, especially in the dioceses bordering Congo, to ensure that any arrivals are met with care and support,” Sister Carla Luísa Frei Bamberg said.
6. Evangelization happens in a competitive and pluralistic landscape.
While Catholicism remains dominant, Angola’s religious landscape is increasingly pluralistic and competitive. Protestant, evangelical, Pentecostal, and charismatic churches have grown rapidly in recent decades — particularly in urban areas, among young people, and through popular media.
Traditional African religions continue to exert cultural influence, often blending with Christian practice, while Islam and other minority faiths maintain a small but visible presence.
Church leaders have expressed concern about this shift. For instance, Bishop Maurício Agostinho Camuto, CSSp, of the Caxito Diocese identified the upsurge of “sects” as a major pastoral challenge that must be addressed to safeguard the people of God under his pastoral care from being led astray.
In an interview with ACI Africa on the pastoral situation of his Diocese on Jan. 26, 2025, Camuto lauded the ecumenical spirit he said the Catholic Church is having with members of other Christian denominations.
“It is a small diocese, but with many challenges, especially the challenge of evangelization itself,” he said about the Angolan diocese that has a total area of 18,916 square kilometers (7,300 square miles), carved out from the Archdiocese of Luanda in June 2007.
The influence of Protestantism in the territory of the Caxito Diocese has been significant, Camuto said, adding that, as Catholics, “we are currently involved in ecumenism with our other brothers and sisters of the other Christian denominations, including Protestant churches.”
For the Catholic Church in Angola, this reality has sharpened the urgency of evangelization that is both doctrinally grounded and culturally engaging.
7. Youth, media, and vocations are shaping the Church’s future in Angola.
With a predominantly young population, Angola’s Catholic Church sees youth formation as decisive for its future.
Catholic media, especially Radio Ecclesia, which enjoys wide national reach, plays a central role in evangelization, civic education, and shaping public opinion.
At the 29th National Youth Assembly in July 2025, Archbishop Luzizila Kiala of the Archdiocese of Malanje encouraged young people to witness the joy of the risen Christ with hope, courage, concrete action, and in a spirit of service.
“Christian hope is not a vague idea or a simple optimistic feeling but a living and transformative force born from a personal encounter with Jesus Christ,” Kiala said in his homily during the opening Mass of the 29th National Youth Assembly on July 25, 2025.
At the same time, Church leaders have raised concerns about shortages of missionaries and vocations in some dioceses.
Kiala has previously appealed to the faithful to “persistently pray for vocations,” lamenting a dearth of pastoral agents.
“It is urgent that we persistently pray for young people called to the priesthood and consecrated life, because we are lacking missionaries in our municipality,” he said at the start of his four-day pastoral visit to Our Lady of Fátima Quela Parish of his metropolitan see on July 4, 2025.
He added: “The shortage of missionaries across these 27 municipalities is severe. We cannot continue without women and men consecrated to evangelize and serve these communities.”
This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted and updated by EWTN News.
Vatican halts sainthood cause of Jesuit priest, gulag survivor Walter Ciszek
The Vatican has halted the cause for sainthood of Father Walter Ciszek, a Pennsylvania-born Jesuit priest who ministered to fellow prisoners while enduring more than 20 years of imprisonment in Russia.
Ciszek (1904–1984) is known for his spiritual writings “He Leadeth Me” and “With God in Russia,” which he wrote after surviving torture by the Soviet secret police and hard labor during his imprisonment from 1941–1963.
The Vatican first approved the advancement of Ciszek’s cause in 2012. Over the several decades that the cause was in progress, the Jesuits had gathered witness testimonies, writings of Ciszek, and more than 4,000 archival documents from the Jesuits and the Russian archives.
Monsignor Ronald Bocian of the Walter Ciszek Prayer League, the group advocating for Ciszekʼs cause, said in an April 9 letter that “the formal canonization process has been stopped.”
“The diocese has been informed that the documentation relating to his cause does not support advancing his cause for beatification or sainthood,” Bocian said.
“The development comes after years of careful study and discernment at the level of the Holy See, which bears the responsibility of evaluating each cause with thoroughness, integrity, and fidelity to the Church’s norms,” Bocian continued.
“While this news may understandably bring disappointment to many who have been inspired by Father Ciszek’s example of heroic faith and have prayed for his cause, it does not diminish the enduring spiritual value of his life, witness, and legacy,” Bocian said.
This is the second sainthood cause this month that the Vatican has closed. The Vatican also halted the cause of Argentinian bishop and servant of God Jorge Novak earlier this month. The Diocese of Quilmes, Argentina, said the decision expresses “no moral judgment regarding the life, virtues, and pastoral ministry” of the bishop but that it was due to him not carrying out “a possible canonical procedure” as a priest.
According to the letter from Bocian, the Prayer League advocating for Ciszek’s canonization will become the “Father Walter J. Ciszek Society.” Bocian said the society will “remain committed to honoring his memory, sharing his message, and encouraging devotion to the profound spiritual insights he left to the Church.”
“Even as the formal canonization process has been stopped, the grace flowing from his witness remains alive in the hearts of the faithful,” Bocian said.
The Diocese of Allentown, Pennsylvania, confirmed the news in a statement to EWTN News, acknowledging the “disappointment” while encouraging the faithful to remember the grace of Ciszek’s life.
“This development comes as the Church evaluates each cause with thoroughness, integrity, and fidelity to its norms,” read the statement from the Diocese of Allentown, which paralleled Bocian’s letter.
Who was Father Walter Ciszek?
Ciszek was born in 1904 in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania. He entered the Jesuit novitiate in 1928 and was ordained in 1937 after being trained to say Mass in the Russian rite. After two years in Poland, he used the chaos of World War II as cover to enter the Soviet Union so that he could minister to Christians who lived under communist persecution.
Soviet authorities arrested him in 1941, believing him to be a spy. Over his decades in prison, he endured solitary confinement, torture, and years of hard labor near the Arctic Circle. Despite the dangers, he said Mass in secret and heard the confessions of other prisoners.
President John F. Kennedy negotiated the prisoner swap that led to his release in 1963. Ciszek went on to write about his spiritual insights and experience in Russia. He died at Fordham University in New York on Dec. 8, 1984. In 1990, Ciszek was declared a servant of God.
Special education services restored for Chicago Catholic schools following brief suspension
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) has reinstated funding for students with disabilities at Catholic schools, reversing a decision to cut special services after pushback from the Archdiocese of Chicago.
“We are delighted to announce that Chicago Public Schools will be restoring special education instructional services to students in Chicago Catholic schools beginning Monday, April 20. Services will be provided through the Friday before Memorial Day, May 22, as had originally been planned,” the archdiocese said in an April 16 statement.
“We appreciate the efforts of CPS CEO Dr. Macquline King and her staff to restore these important services,” the archdiocese said. “We also appreciate the outpouring of support we heard from parents and others in recent days. The archdiocese looks forward to working with CPS in the months ahead to ensure that students with disabilities receive the academic support they need and deserve, whether they attend public or nonpublic schools.”
The news comes after the archdiocese said in an April 10 statement that Chicago Public Schools abruptly terminated its funding for services provided to students with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) more than a month before the end of the school year. The archdiocese said CPS informed them of the funding suspension without warning during Holy Week after having verbally confirmed the funding would continue through the end of the year “as recently as March 25.”
Impacted services would have included academic support services such as tutoring in math, reading, and writing for students with learning disabilities.
The archdiocese said in a previous statement that repeated efforts to reach “an amicable solution” with King had “not yielded a response.” It also said CPS had only terminated IDEA funding for Catholic schools.
Cardinal Blase Cupich condemned the sudden suspension of the program, which he described as a “shocking and possibly discriminatory action by CPS” and an “affront to Catholics.”
“For more than 175 years, our schools have helped lift families out of poverty and produced well-prepared and civically engaged graduates,” Cupich said. “We do so at a cost far below that of other systems and are proud of our students and the teachers who work every day to serve them. We owe them every effort to right this offense by CPS.”
King’s office did not immediately respond to a request to comment.