The Bishops of Angola hope that the Pope’s visit will boost Angolan youth and heal the wounds of the past
Peace is more than the absence of war, say Angolan bishops as Pope Leo visits
Pope Leo will visit Angola on 18 April, as part of a trip to Africa which includes Algeria, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.
Angola is a land of paradox, like so many African nations it is wealthy in natural resources, but over 30% of its population lives in extreme poverty, with under two euros per day, leading the Catholic Church to denounce “the scandal of hunger” and the “visible anxiety” of many people who are drawn into “conditions of indigence”, in a document published by the Bishops’ Conference in July 2025.
Angola is also still recovering from a long period of civil war. According to Bishop António Jaca, of Benguela, even though the fighting stopped 24 years ago, there is more to peace than absence of conflict. “Those were long years of suffering. But peace is also about development and social harmony, so there is still a long way to go,” he told pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
“There is no peace in society without peace among families, and for that families must have enough to get by,” Bishop Jaca continued, adding that the current economic situation of the country is “still very, very difficult. We have high levels of unemployment and criminality, which is no doubt a consequence of unemployment and an idle youth. Most families survive on fragile income and informal trade”.
The Church is very concerned with the youth, and with its future, in a country where 60% of the population is under the age of 25. Archbishop Filomeno Nascimento, of Luanda, believes that the Pope’s visit will resonate in a special way with the young, whom he addressed in a message sent through ACN.
“The Pope is visiting Angola at a time when you are young, full of energy, dreams and enthusiasm. Embrace the Holy Father, and welcome him with the energy that is proper of your age. Show him how strong, beautiful and full of dreams the Angolan youth is. Show him how faith moulds and animates your lives, how it helps you to swim against the tide, against the life’s challenges and to believe that with effort, discipline and sacrifice you can build a different future.”
The archbishop also challenged the youth to accompany the Pope to the Marian shrine of Muxima. “We’ll drive, get taxis, take motorcycles, walk or even run to Muxima. Let us go there and say: ‘welcome Pope Leo’”.
The Pope’s visit to Angola coincides with the 450th anniversary of the founding of the city of Luanda, capital of the Portuguese-speaking country. The land that is now Angola saw the first efforts at evangelization and the first baptisms in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Church has a rich history of which the Angolans are very proud.
Bishop António Jaca highlights the current vitality of the Angolan Church, using his own diocese of Benguela as an example. “This year we have 515 seminarians in our three seminaries, as well as in other seminaries in Angola, and a large number of vocations in the religious institutes.”
Many of these students benefit from ACN’s help, says the bishop. “Thank you so much to ACN for all the support and help it provides and has provided to the Church in Angola for so many years, be it to the seminaries or formation houses, but in general to everything that is related to evangelization. Thank you to all, and God bless you.”
Leo XIV is the third Pope to visit Angola, after Benedict XVI in 2009 and John Paul II in 1992.
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