Pope Leo XIV Angola visit urges leaders to end exploitation and back peace message

During his Angola visit, Pope Leo XIV met President Joao Lourenco and urged leaders to break cycles of exploitation linked to colonial plunder and conflict. The first US-born pope praised Angolans resilience and said he will focus on a Gospel message of peace, justice, and brotherhood, amid questions about US President Donald Trump.

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Angola on Saturday and urged leaders to end long-running exploitation. The visit formed the third stop of a four-country African trip. Leo addressed Angola’s history of extraction and conflict. Leo also carried a message of support for people facing hardship. Angola is a former Portuguese colony with major oil and mineral wealth.

During travel from Cameroon, Leo again mentioned an exchange with US President Donald Trump. The discussion related to the Iran war. Leo, the first US-born pope, said: "it was not in my interest at all to debate Trump\". Leo added that preaching peace, justice and brotherhood remained the priority in Africa.

Pope Leo XIV warns Angola about extractivism and exploitation

In Luanda, Leo met President Joao Lourenco and spoke to government authorities. Leo linked present challenges to colonial plunder and the civil war. Leo told officials: \"You know well that all too often people have looked - and continue to look - to your lands in order to give, or, more commonly, in order to take\".

Leo urged a change in how resources and people were treated. Leo said: \"It is necessary to break this cycle of interests, which reduces reality, and even life itself, to mere commodities.\" Leo argued that such thinking had produced repeated damage. Leo said it also shaped policies that left many people behind.

Leo also spoke about the human cost of extraction. Leo said: \"How much suffering, how many deaths, how many social and environmental disasters are brought about by this logic of extractivism! At every level, we see how it sustains a model of development that discriminates and excludes, while still presuming to impose itself as the only viable option.\"

Leo also offered encouragement to Angolans during the address. Leo told officials: \"I desire to meet you in the spirit born of peace and to affirm that your people possess treasures that cannot be bought or stolen.\" Leo added: \"There dwells within you a joy that not even the most adverse circumstances have been able to extinguish.\"

Pope Leo XIV visit highlights Angola history and poverty figures

Angola has about 38 million people and won independence from Portugal in 1975. Civil war began soon after and continued on and off for 27 years. The conflict ended in 2002. More than a half-million people were believed killed. The war became a Cold War proxy contest for years.

The United States and apartheid South Africa backed one side in the conflict. The Soviet Union and Cuba supported the other side. Angola also sat at the centre of earlier harm under Portuguese rule. It was seen as the epicentre of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Ships leaving Angola carried over 5 million enslaved Africans.

Angola is now the fourth-largest oil producer in Africa, the International Energy Agency said. It is also among the world’s top 20 oil producers. Angola is the world’s No. 3 diamond producer. The country holds deposits of gold and other critical minerals. Yet the World Bank estimated in 2023 that over 30% lived on less than $2.15 daily.

Pope Leo XIV comments as Angola corruption debate continues

Leo earlier criticised corruption while in Cameroon. Leo spoke of chains of corruption blocking development. Leo also referred there to a handful of tyrants causing war and exploitation. Similar themes appeared again in Angola. The remarks came as Angola continued debating how to curb graft and recover public funds.

Jose Eduardo dos Santos led Angola for 38 years, from 1979 to 2017. Dos Santos was accused of diverting billions of dollars to family members. Much of it was linked to oil revenue, while many lived in poverty. After Lourenco took office, the administration estimated at least $24 billion was stolen or misappropriated.

Lourenco’s government said it worked to recover funds from the dos Santos era. It also promised stronger action against corruption. Critics, however, said corruption remained widespread. Some questioned whether steps taken targeted political rivals. They argued the moves could also help Lourenco consolidate power.

In the Saturday speech, Lourenco said improving lives remained a difficult task. Lourenco also called for an end to the Iran war. Lourenco asked Leo to keep using moral authority for peace and understanding. Leo’s visit continued amid wider concern about conflict and economic pressure across many communities.

Pope Leo XIV plans Muxima visit during Angola trip

The main event of the Angola stop was expected on Sunday in Muxima, south of Luanda. The town hosts a major Catholic shrine. About 58% of Angola’s people are Catholic. Leo planned to pray the rosary there. The visit marked a key moment of the Angola leg of the trip.

The Church of Our Lady of Muxima was built by Portuguese colonisers in the late 16th century. It formed part of a fortress complex and became linked to the slave trade. The site remained a reminder of ties between Roman Catholicism and African exploitation. Genealogical research found Leo had Black and white ancestors, including enslaved people and slave owners.

Believers reported an appearance by the Virgin Mary around 1833 at Muxima. That report helped turn the site into a popular pilgrimage destination. Leo’s planned prayers were framed as recognition of that role. The Angola visit also kept focus on ending exploitation, reducing corruption, and supporting peace during ongoing international conflict.

With inputs from PTI