The Digester
religion

Pope Leo begins 10-day Africa tour to spotlight continent's needs

Pope Leo, the first US pope, begins a 10-day tour on April 13 through Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea to draw global attention to Africa’s needs and address interfaith and political issues.

Apr 13th 2026 · Algeria

Insights

  • Tour runs April 13-22 across Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea.
  • Itinerary covers 11 cities, nearly 18,000 km, about 18 flights and 25 planned speeches.
  • Algeria will host a Catholic pope for the first time and the pope will visit the Great Mosque of Algiers.
  • A mass in Douala, Cameroon on April 17 is expected to attract about 600,000 people.
  • Likely topics include exploitation of natural resources, Catholic-Muslim dialogue and political corruption.
  • Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea have long-serving presidents who face accusations of human rights abuses, which they deny.

Sources