VATICAN CITY, April 10, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Pope Leo XIV embarks Monday on an 11-day visit to Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea for his first major international trip since becoming pontiff last year. It will be Leo's third trip outside Italy, after Turkey and Lebanon last year, and Monaco in March. Algeria (13-15 April) - Making historyLeo will be the first pope to go to the North African country of Algeria, where Islam is the state religion. Leo will pray privately in a chapel dedicated to 19 priests and nuns murdered during Algeria's 1992-2002 civil war. Leo will have to tread carefully between trying to support local Catholics and being seen as endorsing the authoritarian government.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha April 10, 2026 04:03 UTC