The Head of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV has embarked a four-nation Africa tour amid his spat with President Donald Trump of the United States over the U.S. and Israel war with Iran.
The visit has taken him to Algeria, said to be the first visit of a Pope to the North African country, and Cameroon in West Africa. He is expected to round off the tour on 23rd April after visiting Angola and Equatorial Guinea.
While in Cameroon, Pope Leo said his visit was to spread the message of peace and unity, stressing that it is a message the world needs to hear at a time of immense turmoil across the globe, even as he faces criticisms from the U.S. government.
Speaking to the CNN during his flight from Algeria to Cameroon, the Pope said his visit to “the Great Mosque of Algiers, the largest in Africa, indicated that though “we have different beliefs, we have different ways of worshipping, we have different ways of living, we can live together in peace.”
He added: “I think that to promote that kind of image is something which the world needs to hear today.”
It is this desire for global peace and unity that reportedly inspired his decision to open a prayer room in a library for Muslims who visit the Vatican, a decision that has also triggered criticisms from Christians around the world.
The Just War Theory
While in Algeria, Pope Leo also visited the birthplace of Saint Augustine of Hippo, who is one of the most influential figures in Church history and who was said to have inspired him to become a priest.
Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President JD Vance has weighed in on the Washington-Vatican feud, justifying his country’s stance on the war with Iran. According to Vance, who is himself a catholic, the pope should be “careful” when talking about theology.
He pointed to Saint Augustine, who is highly revered by the Pope, as a key supporter of the “Just War theory”, developed over centuries by Catholic thinkers and which lays out the criteria for a morally justifiable.