Pope's Africa trip takes him to a source of growth for th...

What’s Happening

Not gonna lie, Pope Leo XIV is making a long and ambitious odyssey across four African countries — Algeria, Angola, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea VATICAN CITY — When Pope Leo XIV pronounced himself a “son of St.

Augustine” the night of his election, some Algerians took that to mean his ancestors hailed from the North African country where the 5th century saint lived and died. Leo’s line, of course, referred to his Augustinian spirituality. (it feels like chaos)

But his connection to the Algerian-born St.

The Details

Augustine, the towering figure of Christianity who is known well to Algeria’s Sunni Muslim majority, served at the least to favorably introduce Leo to a country that will welcome him Monday for the first-ever papal visit. Leo’s two-day stay kicks off an ambitious odyssey across four African countries — Algeria, Angola, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea — that is so dizzying in its logistical complexity that it recalls the globe-trotting journeys of St.

John Paul II in his early years. The 70-year-old Leo will cover more than 17,700 kilometers (about 11,000 miles) on 18 flights over 11 days starting Monday and will deliver speeches and homilies in French, Spanish, Portuguese and English.

Why This Matters

Hes prioritizing a part of the world that is crucial for the continued growth of the Catholic Church, but poses unique challenges as well. With such a variety of cultures and histories, the themes he’ll raise run the gamut, including migration and the exploitation of natural and human resources in a region that produces much of the world’s oil, but where significant proportions of the population live in poverty. The Vatican says Leo will also speak about corruption in oftentimes authoritarian regimes and the role of political leaders in countries where two of the presidents have been in power for decades.

This is part of the larger geopolitical picture unfolding right now.

The Bottom Line

The Vatican says Leo will also speak about corruption in oftentimes authoritarian regimes and the role of political leaders in countries where two of the presidents have been in power for decades.

Is this a W or an L? You decide.