“God’s heart is torn apart by wars, violence, injustice and lies,” Pope Leo XIV said to the Little Sisters of the Poor. He was giving brief greeting to those present during his visit to the Sisters’ care home for the elderly in Annaba on April 14, 2026.
During his trip to Algeria, the Pope visited a retirement home run by the Little Sisters of the Poor, praising the friendship among people of different faiths.
This visit followed his stop at the archeological site of Hippo, where Saint Augustine was bishop from 395 to 430. He praised the small local Catholic community’s commitment to charity and peace.
The “Ma Maison” Care Home for the Elderly houses about 40 senior citizens. A Muslim resident, who still helps out in the kitchen and garden, shared a powerful testimony during his brief encounter with the Pope. He emphasized that “the atmosphere here is pleasant, full of support and kindness.” He also noted that “everyone is free to practice his religion, whether it be Islam or Christianity.”
“This difference doesn’t separate us; it helps us to live together with respect and peace,” he added.
“I think that the Lord, looking down from heaven upon a house like this, where people strive to live together in fraternity,” the Pope observed, “would say, ‘There is hope!’”
God’s heart is with the humble
“But our Father’s heart is not with the wicked, the arrogant or the proud. God’s heart is with the little ones, with the humble, and with them he builds up his Kingdom of love and peace day by day,” Leo XIV added.
He also congratulated the Little Sisters of the Poor, their staff, and the residents for their “daily service” and their “friendship and life together.”
“By passing through here, you confirm this house in its beautiful mission of bearing witness to God’s freely-given love for his children, and above all for the poor,” said Archbishop Paul Desfarges, the archbishop emeritus of Algiers, who lives in this community.
The Pope’s day in Annaba continued with a meal with the Augustinian community. He then celebrated Mass at 3:30 p.m. local time at the Basilica of St. Augustine.
