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Cardinal Vesco: To Algerians, ‘the Church is no longer Europe’
March 28, 2026
» Continue to this story on Fides
CWN Editor's Note: Asked to comment on the Iran war, Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, O.P., of Algiers said, “I’ll answer starting from the reality I live in, that of Algeria.”
“Today, in the minds of the authorities and Algerians, the Church is no longer Europe, nor France, nor a remnant of colonization,” Cardinal Vesco continued. “The Church and Christians are no longer associated with the Western bloc as they once were, and in this sense, I do not believe Christians in Algeria should suffer the consequences of a war between Iran and Israel.”
He added:
In thirty years, the Church in Algeria has become more African—in the sense that Algeria is a country on the African continent—but also more Catholic, in the sense of a reality marked by a multiplicity of nationalities.The above note supplements, highlights, or corrects details in the original source (link above). About CWN news coverage.
Regarding the wars in the Middle East, there is no difference in sensibility between Christian and non-Christian Algerians. If I broaden my perspective to the Middle East, it is clear that Christians are victims alongside everyone else.
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