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April 16 would have marked Pope Benedict XVI’s 99th birthday. Looking ahead to what would have been the late Pope’s 100th birthday next year, the Joseph Ratzinger–Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation announces a year of initiatives to commemorate him.
Pope Leo XIV concludes the first leg of his Apostolic Journey, travelling south from Algeria to Cameroon, where he addresses the country’s authorities, members of civil society and the diplomatic corps, and visits an orphanage.
Bishop James Massa issues a statement in response to public comments regarding the Church’s teaching on war and peace
Pope Leo XIV visits the Ngul Zamba Orphanage in Yaoundé, and encourages children who have faced hardship to see themselves as part of a loving family, thanking caregivers for their dedicated service.
Theologian, philosopher, and missionary priest Fr. Nico Syukur Dister, OFM, is remembered for his enduring contribution to theology, philosophy, and religious life in Indonesia.
During his first official event in Cameroon, Pope Leo XIV calls for peace, justice, and a renewed commitment to the common good, highlighting that peace “must not be reduced to a slogan.”
The Catholic Church in Kenya is preparing to host the 21st Plenary Assembly of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences of Eastern Africa, a significant ecclesial gathering that will bring together bishops from across eastern and parts of southern Africa for reflection on the Church’s mission in the region.
After kicking off his apostolic journey to the African Continent in Algeria, Pope Leo XIV’s lands in Cameroon on Wednesday, April 15, beginning the second leg of his pilgrimage that will take him also to Angola and Equatorial Guinea.
Aboard the papal plane bound for Cameroon, Pope Leo XIV reflects on his Apostolic Journey to Algeria, calling it a “special blessing for me personally” and a “wonderful opportunity to continue to build bridges and promote dialogue.”
Faced with the destructive power of modern weapons, it is very difficult to speak, as was done in past centuries, of the possibility of a ‘just war.’ As early as 1963, Pope John XXIII, in 'Pacem in Terris,' wrote that in the atomic age it becomes almost impossible to think that war can be considered an instrument of justice. In this same spirit stands Pope Leo XIV, who is making peace one of the central themes of his pontificate.
At the conclusion of Pope Leo XIV's visit to Algeria, Archbishop Nicolas Lhernould, president of the North African Conference of Bishops, recalls that the Pope's visit was inspired by St. Augustine and saw him meet people with faith, simplicity, and humility.
After a brief visit to a Church-run orphanage in Algiers, Pope Leo XIV boards the papal plane at the conclusion of his Apostolic Journey to Algeria and flies to Cameroon for the second leg of his visit to four African nations.