Pope calls on Algeria’s leaders to promote ‘vibrant, dynamic, and free civil society’
April 13, 2026
Pope Leo XIV spoke to Algeria’s civil authorities during his second address in the North African nation today and called upon them “to promote a vibrant, dynamic and free civil society, in which young people in particular are recognized as capable of helping to broaden the horizon of hope for all” (video).
“The true strength of a nation lies in the cooperation of everyone in pursuing the common good,” Pope Leo said during his midday address to civil leaders and members of the diplomatic corps at the Djamaa el Djazair Conference Center in Algiers. “Authorities are called not to dominate, but to serve the people and foster their development. Political action thus finds its guiding criterion in justice, without which there can be no authentic peace, and is expressed in the promotion of fair and dignified conditions for all.”
Reflecting on the Mediterranean Sea and the Sahara Desert, the Pope said that “the sea and the desert have been places of mutual enrichment among peoples and cultures for millennia. Woe to us if we turn them into graveyards where hope also dies!”
The Pope added, “Let us free these tremendous reservoirs of history and of the future from evil! Let us multiply oases of peace; let us denounce and remove the causes of despair; and let us oppose those who profit from the misfortune of others! For illicit are the gains of those who exploit human life, whose dignity is inviolable. Let us, then, unite our strength, spiritual energy, intelligence and resources, so that the land and the sea may become places of life, encounter and wonder.”
Turning to the theme of reverence for God in a nation where Islam is the state religion, the Pope warned against fundamentalism and secularism:
The Mediterranean, the Sahara and the vast sky above them whisper to us that reality surpasses us on all sides, that God is truly great, and that everything lives in his mysterious presence. This insight has enormous consequences for our understanding of reality, yet many today underestimate its significance ...
Here, as across the world, opposed dynamics of fundamentalism and secularization tend to manifest themselves, causing many to lose an authentic sense of God and of the dignity of all his creatures. Consequently, religious symbols and words can become, on the one hand, blasphemous languages of violence and oppression, or on the other, empty signs in the immense marketplace of consumption that does not satisfy us.
“We must educate people in critical thinking and freedom, in listening and dialogue, and in the trust that leads us to recognize in those who are different fellow travelers and not threats,” the Pope concluded. “We must work together toward the healing of memory and reconciliation among former adversaries. This is the gift I desire for you, for Algeria, and for all of its people, upon whom I invoke the abundant blessings of the Most High.”
CWN coverage of Pope Leo’s apostolic journey to Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea:
Day 1 (April 13)
- Pope departs for Africa
- Pope Leo: ‘I have no fear of the Trump administration’
- I am ‘very happy’ to visit the land of St. Augustine, Pope says on flight to Algeria
- ‘The future belongs to men and women of peace,’ Pope says in first Algerian address
- Pope calls on Algeria’s leaders to promote ‘vibrant, dynamic, and free civil society’
- Pope visits Great Mosque of Algiers, recalls St. Augustine’s search for truth
- Pope emphasizes prayer, charity, unity in address to Algerian Catholics
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