Pope Leo Holy Mass, Annaba  14.04.26

Apostolic Journey to Algeria

Dear brothers and sisters,

The divine Word pervades history and renews it through the human voice of the Saviour. Today we listen to the Gospel, the Good News for all time, in this Basilica in Annaba dedicated to Saint Augustine, Bishop of the ancient city of Hippo. Over the centuries, the names of the places that welcome us have changed, but the saints continue to serve as our patrons and faithful witnesses of a connection to the land that comes from heaven. It is precisely this dynamic that the Lord revealed at night to Nicodemus: this is the strength that Christ instills in the weakness of his faith and the tenacity of his search.

Sent by the Spirit of God, which “you do not know where it comes from or where it goes” (Jn 3:8), Jesus is a special guest for Nicodemus. In fact, he calls him to a new life, entrusting to his interlocutor — and to us as well — a surprising task: “You must be born from above” (v. 7). Such is the invitation for every man and woman who seeks salvation! Jesus’ invitation gives rise to the mission of the whole Church, and consequently to the Christian community in Algeria: to be born again from above, that is, from God. In this perspective, faith overcomes earthly hardships and the Lord’s grace makes the desert blossom. Yet the beauty of this exhortation also brings with it a challenge, which the Gospel calls us to face together.

As a matter of fact, Christ’s words contain all the force of a command: you must be born again from above! Such a command rings in our ears as a feat that would be impossible. However, when we listen attentively to the one who gives the order, we come to understand that this is neither a harsh imposition nor a constraint, and much less a condemnation to failure. On the contrary, the obligation expressed by Jesus is a gift of freedom for us, because it reveals an unexpected possibility: we can be born anew from above thanks to God. We should do so, then, according to his loving will, which desires to renew humanity by calling us to a communion of life that begins with faith. While Christ invites us to renew our lives completely, he also gives us the strength to do so. Saint Augustine attests to this well when praying in this way, “Give, O Lord, what you command and command what you will” (Confessions, X, 29, 40).

Therefore, when we ask ourselves how a future of justice, peace, harmony and salvation will be possible, we must remember that we are asking God the same question that Nicodemus asked: can our story truly change? We are so weighed down by problems, hardships and tribulations! Can we truly start our lives over again? Yes! The Lord’s response, so full of love, fills our hearts with hope. No matter how weighed down we are by pain or sin: the crucified One carries all these burdens with us and for us. No matter how discouraged we are by our own weaknesses: it is precisely then that God manifests his strength, the God who has raised Christ from the dead in order to give life to the world. Each one of us can experience the freedom of new life that comes from faith in the Redeemer. Once again, Saint Augustine offers us an example of this: we revere him for his conversion even more than for his wisdom. In this rebirth, providentially accompanied by the tears of his mother, Saint Monica, he found himself, exclaiming: “I could not therefore exist, could not exist at all, O my God, unless you were in me. Or should I not rather say, that I could not exist unless I were in you” (Confessions, I, 2).

Christians are truly born from above, regenerated by God as brothers and sisters of Jesus, and the Church that nourishes them with the sacraments is the welcoming bosom for all peoples. As we have just heard, the Acts of the Apostles bears witness to this by describing the lifestyle that characterizes humanity when it has been renewed by the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 4:32-37). Even today, we must embrace this apostolic rule and put it into practice, meditating on it as an authentic criterion for ecclesial reform: a reform that must begin in the heart, if it is to be genuine, and must encompass everyone if it is to be effective.

First, “the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul” (v. 32). This spiritual unity is a concordia: a word that signifies well the communion of hearts that beat as one because they are united with the heart of Christ. The early Church, therefore, was not based on a social contract, but rather on the harmony of faith, affections, ideas and life decisions centered on the love of God who became man to save all the peoples of the earth.

Second, let us admire the tangible effects of the spiritual unity among believers: “everything they owned was held in common” (v. 32). Everyone has everything, sharing in one another’s goods as members of a single body. No one is deprived of anything, because everyone shares what they have. Since possession can be transformed into gift, this fraternal dedication does not represent a utopia. Only hearts divided against one another and souls consumed by greed believe that it is. On the contrary, faith in the one God, Lord of heaven and earth, unites people according to perfect justice, which calls everyone to charity — that is, to love every creature with the love that God gives us in Christ. Therefore, in the face of poverty and oppression, the guiding principle above all for Christians is charity: let us do to those around us, as we would have them do to us (cf. Mt 7:12). Inspired by this law, inscribed in our hearts by God, the Church is continually reborn, for where there is despair she kindles hope, where there is misery she brings dignity, and where there is conflict she brings reconciliation.

Third, the passage from Acts shows us the foundation of this new life, which embraces peoples of every language and culture: “With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all” (v. 33). The charity that motivates them is more than a moral commitment; it is a sign of salvation: the Apostles proclaim that our lives can change because Christ has risen from the dead. The primary task of pastors as ministers of the Gospel is therefore to bear witness to God before the world with one heart and one soul, not permitting our concerns to lead us astray through fear, nor trends to undermine us through compromise. Together with you, brothers in the Episcopate and the Priesthood, let us constantly renew this mission for the sake of those entrusted to us, so that through her service, the whole Church may be a message of new life for those we encounter.

Dearest Christians of Algeria, you remain a humble and faithful sign of Christ’s love in this land. Bear witness to the Gospel through simple gestures, genuine relationships and a dialogue lived out day by day: in this way, you bring flavour and light to the places where you live. Your presence in this country is like incense: a glowing grain that spreads fragrance because it gives glory to the Lord and joy and comfort to so many brothers and sisters. This incense is a small, precious element that does not draw attention to itself, but invites us to turn our hearts to God, encouraging one another to persevere amid the difficulties of the present time. From the thurible of our hearts may there rise praise, blessing and supplication, spreading the sweet fragrance (cf. Eph 5:2) of mercy, almsgiving, and forgiveness. Your history is one of generous hospitality and resilience in times of trial. Here the martyrs prayed; here Saint Augustine loved his flock, fervently seeking the truth and serving Christ with ardent faith. Be heirs to this tradition, bearing witness through fraternal charity to the freedom of those born from above as a hope of salvation for the world.

Thank you, Your Excellency, for the sentiments you have expressed on behalf of the entire community!  And thank you all for your warm welcome over the last few days.

I would like to express my gratitude in particular to the civil authorities for the thoughtful hospitality that I have received and for the care with which they ensured the success of my visit to Algeria.

I regard this journey as a special gift of God’s providence, a gift that the Lord wished to bestow upon the entire Church through an Augustinian Pope.

The following is a fitting summary of my time here: God is love; he is the Father of all men and women.  Let us therefore turn to him with humility and acknowledge that the current state of the world, which is in a downward spiral, ultimately stems from our pride.  We need him and we need his mercy.  Only in him does the human heart find peace, and only with him can we, all together, recognize one another as brothers and sisters, and walk the path of justice, integral development and communion.  Thank you, thank you all very much!

14.04.26

Pope Leo Holy Mass, Annaba  14.04.26

Apostolic Journey to Algeria

FAMINE

Pope Francis

Hunger

Hunger is an injustice that destroys men and women because they have nothing to eat, even if there is a lot food available in the world. Human exploitation; different forms of slavery; recently I saw a film shot inside a prison where migrants are locked up and tortured to turn them into slaves. This is still happening 70 years after the Declaration of Human Rights. Cultural colonization. This is exactly what the Devil wants, to destroy human dignity – and that is why the Devil is behind all forms of persecution.

01.06.18

Pope Leo Apostolic Journey to Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea  

13–23 April 2026

Pope Leo Regina Caeli 12.04.26 

Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday and happy Easter once again!

Today, on the Second Sunday of Easter, dedicated to Divine Mercy by Saint John Paul II, the Gospel recounts the appearance of the risen Jesus to the Apostle Thomas (cf. Jn 20:19–31).  This event took place eight days after Easter, while the community was gathered together.  There, Thomas encountered the Master, who invited him to look at the marks of the nails and to put his hand into the wound in his side, and to believe (cf. v. 27).  This scene invites us to reflect on our own encounter with the risen Jesus.  Where can we find him?  How can we recognise him?  How can we believe?  Saint John, who narrated the event, gives us precise indications: Thomas met Jesus on the eighth day, in the gathered community, and recognised him in the signs of his sacrifice.  His profession of faith, the highest in the entire Fourth Gospel, emerged from this experience: “My Lord and my God!” (v. 28).

Of course, it is not always easy to believe.  It was not easy for Thomas, and it is not easy for us either.  Faith needs to be nourished and sustained.  For this reason, on the “eighth day” — that is, every Sunday — the Church invites us to do as the first disciples did: gather together and celebrate the Eucharist.  During Mass, we listen to the words of Jesus, we pray, we profess our faith, we share God’s gifts in charity, we offer our lives in union with the Sacrifice of Christ.  His Body and Blood nourish us, so that we too may become witnesses of his Resurrection, as indicated by the term “Mass,” which means “sending forth,” or “mission” (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1332).

The Sunday Eucharist is indispensable to the Christian life.  Tomorrow I will depart for my Apostolic Journey to Africa.  Some of the martyrs of the early African Church, particularly the Martyrs of Abitene, have left us a beautiful testimony in this regard. When offered the chance to save their lives by renouncing the celebration of the Eucharist, they replied that they could not live without celebrating the Lord’s Day.  It is there that our faith is grows and is strengthened.  It is there that our efforts, though limited, are united by God’s grace to the actions of the members of a single body — the Body of Christ — for the accomplishment of a single great plan of salvation that embraces all humanity.  It is through the Eucharist that our hands become “the hands of the Risen One,” giving witness to his presence, mercy and peace.  The signs of work, sacrifice, illness and the passing of the years are often etched into our hands, just as they are in the tenderness of a caress, a handshake, or a gesture of charity.

Dear brothers and sisters, in a world that is in such great need of peace, this calls on us more than ever to be steadfast and faithful in our Eucharistic encounter with the risen Lord, so that we may go forth as witnesses of charity and messengers of reconciliation.  May the Virgin Mary help us to do this, she who is blessed because she was the first to believe without seeing (cf. Jn 20:29).

Dear brothers and sisters,

Today, many Eastern Churches celebrate Easter according to the Julian calendar.  In communion of faith in the Risen Lord, I extend my heartfelt wishes for peace to all these communities.  I accompany these wishes with my fervent prayer for all those suffering due to war, particularly for the dear people of Ukraine.  May the light of Christ bring comfort to afflicted hearts and strengthen the hope for peace.  May the international community’s attention to the tragedy of this war not waver!

In these days of sorrow, fear, and unwavering hope in God, I feel closer than ever to the beloved people of Lebanon.  The principle of humanity, inscribed in the conscience of every person and recognized in international law, entails a moral obligation to protect the civilian population from the horrific effects of war.  I call on the parties in the conflict to declare a ceasefire and urgently seek a peaceful solution.

Next Wednesday marks the third anniversary of the start of the bloodstained conflict in Sudan.  How much the Sudanese people are suffering, innocent victims of this inhuman tragedy!  I renew my fervent appeal to the warring parties to silence their weapons and begin, without preconditions, a sincere dialogue aimed at ending this fratricidal war as soon as possible.

Now, I welcome all of you – Romans and pilgrims alike – especially the faithful who celebrated Divine Mercy Sunday at the Shrine of Santo Spirito in Sassia.

I greet the Musikverein Kleinraming, from the Diocese of Linz in Austria, the faithful who have come from Poland, the young people from the Collège Saint Jean de Passy in Paris, and those of various nationalities from the Focolare Movement. I also greet the pilgrimage group from the community of San Benedetto Po and the confirmands from Santarcangelo di Romagna and San Vito.

I will depart tomorrow for my ten-day Apostolic Journey to four African countries: Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea.  Please keep me in your prayers.

I wish everyone a happy Sunday!

12.04.26

Pope Leo Prayer Vigil for Peace

 with the recitation of the Holy Rosary 11.04.26

Pope Leo General Audience 08.04.26  

How do we receive the Word of God? The response is clear: As one receives Jesus Christ. The Church tells us that Jesus is present in the Scripture, in His Word.

Always carry a small Gospel with you in your purse, in your pocket, and read a passage from the Gospel during the day. Not so much to learn something, but mostly to find Jesus, because Jesus actually is in His Word, in His Gospel.  Every time I read the Gospel, I find Jesus.  - Pope Francis 01.09.14

Daily Readings - read the entire New Testament over a 2 year period (reading plan courtesy of Gideon International)

The Bible Online

Thank you, Francis

Every month, you have invited us to pray with you for the challenges of humanity and the mission of the Church, teaching us to learn compassion for others from the heart of Christ. Thank you, Francis, for your life and your witness.

Your Worldwide Prayer Network.

Pope Francis Easter Message and Urbi et Orbi Blessing   20.04.25

Easter Sunday

for the full transcript click on the picture link above

Pope Francis

Care for Our Common Home - Laudato Si'

Pope Francis 

Refugees and Migrants

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 Marriage

Pope Francis - The ‘foreverness’ and beauty of Love 

Pope Francis - The Family in the Light of the Word of God

Pope Francis 

Fraternity

Pope Francis

Compassion

Pope Francis

Happiness

Pope Leo Holy Easter Sunday Mass  05.04.26  

The Resurrection of the Lord   

Pope Francis Message for the 58th World Day of Peace 01.01.25