Pope visits Great Mosque of Algiers, recalls St. Augustine’s search for truth
April 13, 2026
Pope Leo XIV visited the Great Mosque of Algiers this afternoon (video) and, in impromptu remarks, spoke about St. Augustine’s search for truth.
Responding to the words of welcome offered by Mohamed Mamoun Al Qasimi, the mosque’s rector, Pope Leo said that “I come with great joy to Algeria because it is also the land of my spiritual father, St. Augustine, who wanted to teach the world so much, especially with the search for truth, the search for God, recognizing the dignity of every human being and the importance of building peace.”
“To seek God is also to recognize the image of God in every creature, in the children of God, in every man and woman created in the image and likeness of God,” the Pope continued. “This means for us that it is very important to learn to live together with respect for the dignity of every human person.”
Pope Leo added:
There is another value that you wanted to include in this beautiful center: precisely with the mosque, a place of prayer, there is also a center for study. How important it is for human beings to develop the intellectual capacity that God has given to man, so that we can discover how great creation is, how great is what God has left us in all creation and especially in human beings!
“This afternoon I pray for you, for the people of Algeria, for all the peoples of the earth, that the peace and justice of the Kingdom of God may also be present in our midst, and that we may all be ever more convinced of the need to be promoters of peace, reconciliation, forgiveness and of what God’s mind truly is for all his creation,” the Pope concluded.
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