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Tens of thousands gather outside Angolan capital for Pope Leo Mass
The pope urged Angolans to overcome division and exploitation as he opened the third leg of his four-nation Africa tour.
- On Sunday, Pope Leo XIV celebrated an open-air Mass in Kilamba, Angola, attended by an estimated 100,000 people. He urged Angolans to "build together a country where old divisions are overcome once and for all, where hatred and violence disappear."
- Angola's extreme poverty affects over 30% of its 36.6 million population, framing the papal visit's urgency. Leo previously condemned the "suffering" and social and environmental "disasters" caused by extractivism, addressing divisions from the nation's 27-year civil war.
- Later Sunday, the Pope traveled 110 kilometres by helicopter to the 300-year-old Our Lady of Muxima Shrine, historically linked to the slave trade. Genealogical research indicates Leo's ancestors included both enslaved people and slaveholders, adding personal significance to the visit.
- Bishop Vicente Sanombo of the Diocese of Kuito-Bié expressed hope the papal visit acts as a catalyst for national healing. Vast crowds gathered at the shrine seeking comfort, reflecting on Leo's message of reconciliation and peace.
- This stop marks the third leg of Leo's 11-day African tour focused on social justice and anti-corruption messaging. He continues to challenge "despots and tyrants" regarding resource exploitation, aiming to influence policy choices on governance across the continent.
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67 Articles
Pope at Mass in Kilamba: Jesus walks beside the Church in Angola
During Mass in Luanda's suburb of Kilamba, Pope Leo XIV insists that Jesus is alive, is risen, and walks beside Angolans, and notes that if all the faithful welcome the Lord and His presence in their midst, their nation - that has seen much suffering - can be graced with a blessed and peaceful future. Read all
Pope Leo XIV calls for 'hope' before 100,000 faithful in Angola
LUANDA (ANGOLA) - Tens of thousands of people attended a giant open-air mass by Pope Leo XIV outside the Angolan capital Sunday, where he delivered a message of hope to the resource-rich country marked by poverty and inequality.
Pope urges Angola to overcome divisions at Mass attended by 100,000 people
Pope Leo urged Angolans on Sunday to overcome divisions after decades of bloody conflict in an address to an estimated 100,000 people who flocked to a Mass near the capital Luanda.
Channel News Asia
Thousands gather for Pope Leo's first mass in Angola
LUANDA, Angola: Tens of thousands gathered outside Angola's capital, Luanda, for a giant open-air Sunday (Apr 19) mass led by Pope Leo XIV on the second day of his visit to the resource-rich country mark
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