As the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to hear the Gospel prepares to receive a visit from Pope Leo XIV, the Church makes a renewed appeal for reconciliation in Angola.

Pope Leo XIV on a visit to Angola from April 18 to 21 as part of his apostolic journey to Africa, which also included  Algeria, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea. This visit is generating immense interest across society, and the local Church hopes that the Pope’s presence may help bring an end to the political and social divisions affecting the country.

In an interview with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Bishop Estanislau Chindekasse, of Dundo, in the east of the country, and vice-president of the Bishops’ Conference, says that “above all, it is a great grace to host the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV. He has not even been pope for a year, and already he is visiting Angola.”

Bishop Chindekasse highlights the fact that the Pope will be visiting Saurimo, in the east, which is home to an important diamond mining industry on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “For us, in the east of Angola, it is even more joyful. With the prophet Isaiah we can say: Now, you, Eastern Angola, will no longer be desolate; you will no longer be abandoned, for the Holy Father is to visit the east for the first time. This is a great grace, a time to strengthen our communion with the Holy Father; internally, among the Church, but also for society at large,” the bishop tells Pontifical Charity ACN.

Bishop Estanislau Chindekasse emphasizes that the Pope is coming to Angola as a pilgrim of hope, reconciliation, and peace. “These are three very important and highly relevant issues for our Church today. Therefore, we are going to prepare for this visit through catechesis, prayer, and meetings, so that we may truly deepen our understanding and not squander this great opportunity that God is offering us, by sending His representative on earth in the person of Pope Leo XIV, the man who has spoken of peace, of unarmed peace,” says the bishop of Dundo.

Angola is a former Portuguese colony. Following Independence in 1975, the country was embroiled in a prolonged civil war. Although the war has since ended, the nation is still plagued by division and extreme poverty, despite immense natural resources.

In a pastoral message published in anticipation of the papal visit, the Angolan bishops say that this is a perfect occasion to promote unity. “We need to prepare through a personal conversion, and turn this visit into an opportunity to heal our internal wounds. We cannot host the ‘Messenger of Peace’ with our hearts full of hate, resentment, division, and strife. Reconciliation must begin in each heart, in each family, and in every civic, sporting, professional or political organization,” says the note.

The bishops also recall that Angola was the first nation in sub-Saharan Africa to receive the Gospel and was also home to the first baptisms. According to the bishops’ pastoral note, the first black African bishop was also from the region that is now Angola, ordained at the beginning of the 16th century.

ACN has been supporting the Church in Angola for decades, through projects such as the renovation of churches, chapels, and other Church structures, including schools which prove essential for the first stages of evangelization. The pontifical charity also supports the formation of priests, religious, seminarians, and lay people, and provides subsistence aid for clergy and religious sisters. Also significant is the support it provides for the transportation of priests and catechists through the provision of cars and motorbikes, which are essential for pastoral work in a country where the roads are in very poor condition.