Pope Leo Xiv In Algeria Walks In Footsteps Of His Spiritual Father, St. Augustine

ANNABA, Algeria — Pope Leo XIV walked Tuesday successful nan footsteps of his belief father, St. Augustine, making a visit to nan archaeological ruins successful Algeria wherever nan fifth-century titan of early Christianity lived, died and wrote immoderate of nan astir important useful successful Western thought.

Leo’s sojourn to Annaba, nan modern-day Hippo, was a belief homecoming for nan American pope connected his 2nd afloat time successful Algeria. He arrived Monday connected a first-ever papal visit, against nan backdrop of his calls for bid that person sparked a feud pinch President Trump complete nan warfare successful Iran. It’s nan first extremity connected Leo’s four-country Africa tour.

The pope arrived astatine nan ruins successful a rainstorm and pinch tight security, pinch sharpshooters positioned astir nan tract and policemen stationed each fewer yards on roads starring to it.

Leo prayed nether under a shelter looking retired complete nan ruins of nan ancient Roman city, including its theater, marketplace and basilica wherever Augustine preached and nan adjoining baptistry. In a motion of peace, he planted an oliva character and watched arsenic achromatic doves were group free.

Accompanied by nan existent caput of his Augustinian belief order, nan Rev. Joseph Farrell, Leo past walked amid nan muddy ruins for a fewer minutes, pausing to perceive to an Algerian choir.

Leo proclaimed himself a “son of St. Augustine” connected nan nighttime of his predetermination and has cited Augustine prolifically successful his first year, making clear that he’s nan guiding inspiration of Leo’s pontificate. For this trip, Leo is focusing connected Augustine arsenic a bridge-builder arsenic he intends to property a connection of bid and Christian-Muslim coexistence.

“God’s bosom is torn isolated by wars, violence, injustice and lies,” Leo later told a mini gathering of nuns and aged group successful Annaba.

The sojourn besides draws attraction to nan North African origins of Augustine, who spent only 5 years successful Italy but is often seen done a Eurocentric lens arsenic 1 of nan top Western thinkers of Christianity for his writings connected truth, evil, creation and grace.

Leo’s Augustinian belief bid was founded successful Italy successful nan 13th century, inspired by nan saint.

A life successful North Africa, looking to Rome

St. Augustine was calved successful 354 to a Berber mother and Roman begetter successful Thagaste, coming nan Algerian metropolis of Souk Ahras adjacent nan separator pinch Tunisia. At nan time, nan swath of North Africa was portion of nan Roman Empire, including Carthage successful today’s Tunisia, wherever Augustine was knowledgeable and taught rhetoric.

He near North Africa for Rome successful 383 and past Milan, wherever he converted to Christianity. He returned to his homeland soon thereafter, founded a monastery astatine Hippo wherever he developed nan norm of his bid successful usage today, emphasizing organization life. He became a bishop and successful Hippo wrote immoderate of nan astir important useful successful nan Western canon, including “Confessions” and “The City of God.”

A caller book, “Augustine nan African,” by Catherine Conybeare, an Augustine clever clever astatine Bryn Mawr assemblage successful Pennsylvania, explores Augustine from his perspective: As a North African, looking to Rome arsenic nan halfway of his beingness but emotion insecure location astir his Punic-accented Latin.

“One of nan astir important thinkers successful nan Western intelligence contented really came from Africa, spent almost his full life successful Africa,” Conybeare told The Associated Press. “How does that alteration things?”

“Of course, because his successors — nan group who carried connected his practice — were successful Europe, they sewage to show nan story,” she said. And Europe sewage his body: After Augustine died successful Hippo successful 430, his assemblage was taken yet to Pavia, Italy, though a forearm remains successful nan basilica dedicated to him successful Annaba.

In welcoming Leo, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune expressed nan “immense pride” Algerians consciousness complete St. Augustine. He called him “a cherished boy of this land, which having been his first cradle, proudly became his first resting place.”

A individual sojourn for Leo

Leo made clear en way to Algeria and successful remarks to Algerian authorities really profoundly individual and important this sojourn is to him, because of his belief relationship to St. Augustine. He had visited doubly before, while he was superior of nan Augustinian order.

“This journey, which is very typical for respective reasons, was expected to beryllium nan first of my pontificate,” Leo told reporters connected nan papal plane. “As early arsenic past May, I had said that connected my first journey, I would for illustration to sojourn Africa. Several group instantly suggested Algeria because of St. Augustine.”

In nan end, different trips intervened, but he kept nan appointment.

The saint, he said, represents “a very important span successful interreligious dialogue” that nan world could usage today.

“We must ever activity bridges to build bid and reconciliation,” he said. “This journey, then, genuinely represents a valuable opportunity to proceed pinch nan aforesaid voice, pinch nan aforesaid message, that we wish to convey: to beforehand peace, reconciliation, respect and information for each peoples.”

Also Tuesday, Leo was visiting a mini organization of Augustinians successful Annaba. He was finishing nan time by celebrating Mass astatine nan Basilica of St. Augustine, nan 19th period basilica overlooking nan ruins of Hippo which contains nan relic of nan saint. Thousands of pilgrims sojourn nan basilica each year, including Muslims.

Winfield writes for nan Associated Press.