Pope’s 11-day, 4-nation Africa tour: Highlights of marathon event

Here we detail the various stages of the Pope’s third international trip since his election nearly a year ago. All times listed are local (UTC+1), which is one hour behind Rome.

On Monday, April 13, the Pope will depart from Rome-Fiumicino Airport at 8:00 a.m.. He will arrive at Algiers’ Houari Boumediene International Airport at 9:00 a.m. This historic visit marks the first time a pope has ever set foot in Algeria. Following the welcome ceremony, he'll head to the Martyrs' Monument (Maqam Echahid) at 9:45 a.m. The memorial, erected in 1982, honors those who died in the war for independence from France (1954–1962). There, he'll give his first words of greeting.

After this traditional stop for visiting heads of state, the Pope will head to the presidential palace at 10:15 a.m. There, he'll meet with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. At 11:00 a.m., he'll deliver a speech to government authorities, civil society leaders, and the diplomatic corps at the Djamaa el Djazair Conference Center.

The afternoon features three appointments. He will visit the Great Mosque of Algiers at 3:15 p.m. At 4:15 p.m., he'll make a private visit to the "Welcome and Friendship Center" that the Augustinian Missionary Sisters operate in Bab El Oued. This community was the home of the two Spanish religious sisters slain on October 23, 1994, during the country’s "Black Decade"; Sisters Esther Paniagua Alonso and Caridad Álvarez Martín were among 19 Christian martyrs beatified in Oran in 2018. To end the day’s activities, the Pope will meet with the Algerian Catholic community at the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa at 4:40 p.m. He will deliver a speech there.

On Tuesday, April 14, Pope Leo XIV’s second day in Algeria will take the form of a pilgrimage in the footsteps of his spiritual master, St. Augustine. His plane will depart Algiers at 9:20 a.m. for the “Rabah Bitat” international airport in Annaba—located about 273 miles east of the capital. The Pope will land there at 10:30 a.m.

He will visit the archaeological site of Hippo at 11:00 a.m. Then, at 11:35 a.m., he’ll visit a home for the elderly that the Little Sisters of the Poor operate. After a private meeting with the local Augustinian community at 12:10 p.m., he'll celebrate Mass at the Basilica of St. Augustine at 3:30 p.m. He'll head back to Algiers by airplane, leaving at 6:00 p.m. and arriving at 7:10 p.m.

On Wednesday, April 15, the Pope will leave Algiers for the second stage of his journey: Cameroon. After a departure ceremony at 9:40 a.m., the Pope will take off at 10:10 a.m. for a five-hour flight. Officials will welcome him at 3:20 p.m. at the Yaoundé-Nsimalen International Airport. One hour later, he'll make a courtesy visit to President Paul Biya at the presidential palace.

At the Congress Center, the Pope will meet Cameroonian leaders at 5:00 p.m. and deliver a speech to them. Two other appointments are planned for this busy first day. He will visit the Ngul Zamba orphanage at 5:45 p.m. Then, at 6:25 p.m., he’ll hold a private meeting with the country’s bishops at the headquarters of the Episcopal Conference.

On Thursday, April 16, Leo XIV will travel to Bamenda. This is an English-speaking city about 186 miles northwest of the capital. After landing at 11:00 a.m., the Pontiff will participate in meeting for peace with the local community at St. Joseph’s Cathedral at 11:30 a.m., and deliver a speech there. He’ll celebrate Mass at 3:15 p.m. at the airport, and will return to Yaoundé at around 6:20 p.m.

Friday, April 17, will focus partly on Douala, the economic capital. The city sits on the Atlantic coast about 124 miles west of Yaoundé. After landing at 9:55 a.m., the Pope will celebrate Mass at 11:00 a.m. at Japoma Stadium. He will then visit Saint Paul Catholic Hospital in private at 1:20 p.m. After returning to Yaoundé at 3:15 p.m., the Pontiff will go to the Catholic University of Central Africa at 5:30 p.m. He will meet with university students and professors and deliver a speech.

The Pope will bid farewell to Cameroon with a 9:30 a.m. Mass at Yaoundé-Ville airport on Saturday, April 18, before departing for Angola at 12:30 p.m.

The papal plane will land at 3:00 p.m. in the Angolan capital of Luanda after a two-and-a-half-hour flight. After a welcome ceremony at “4 de Fevereiro” Airport, he'll meet privately with President João Lourenço at the presidential palace at 3:40 p.m. The Pope will then deliver his first speech to the country’s authorities at 4:15 p.m. He’ll end the day with a private meeting with the bishops of Angola at 7:00 p.m.

The following day, Sunday, April 19, he'll celebrate Mass and the Angelus at 10:00 a.m. in Kilamba. This is a new city on the outskirts of Luanda. In the afternoon, he'll travel by helicopter to Muxima. The country’s largest Marian shrine is located there, 81 miles inland from the capital. On the esplanade of Our Lady of Muxima, whom Angolans call “Mama Muxima,” he'll pray the Rosary at 4:45 p.m. He’ll return by helicopter to Luanda in the early evening.

The next day, Monday, April 20, the Pope will travel by plane to Saurimo, a city of half a million people located in the east of the country. Leo XIV will land there at 9:20 a.m., and will visit a nursing home at 9:45 a.m. He’ll then celebrate Mass on the city esplanade at 11:15 a.m. In the early afternoon, he will return to Luanda. At 5:30 p.m., he'll meet the bishops and leaders of the Church in Angola at Our Lady of Fatima Parish. After one last night in Angola, he’ll leave the country the next day, April 21, at 9:15 a.m.

The Pope will conclude this long journey in Africa with a visit to Equatorial Guinea. He’ll arrive late Tuesday morning, April 21, in Malabo. This former capital is located on Bioko Island off the coast of Cameroon. At 12:30 p.m., Leo XIV will meet the president of the republic, Teodoro Obiang Nguema. This leader previously welcomed Pope John Paul II in 1982 during the last papal visit to the country. The Pope will deliver a speech at the presidential palace after meeting at 1:00 p.m. with authorities, civil society, and the diplomatic corps.

The afternoon will feature a meeting with the “world of culture” at the Malabo university campus at 4:00 p.m. The Pope will deliver a speech during this event. A visit to a psychiatric hospital is planned for 5:15 p.m.; the Pontiff will speak with the staff and patients there. This first day in Equatorial Guinea will end with a meeting with the nation's bishops.

The next day, April 22, the Pope will travel to the mainland part of the country. At 10:30 a.m., he will celebrate Mass in Mongomo (on the Gabonese border) at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, the second-largest church in Africa. After visiting a school at 12:30 p.m., he'll board his plane to travel toward Bata on the Atlantic coast.

At 4:50 p.m., he'll visit a prison. He'll then travel to the memorial for the victims of the explosion that occurred on March 7, 2021. That disaster caused the deaths of 108 people. At 6:10 p.m., he’ll meet with young people and families in a stadium and deliver a speech. He’ll then return to Malabo, departing at 7:40 p.m.

April 23 will be the final day of this journey. After a Mass at 10:00 a.m. at Malabo Stadium, the Pope will fly to Rome at 12:45 p.m. He should land there at 7:55 p.m.