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.
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
Day 2 (April 14)
Day 3 (April 15)
- Pope bids farewell to Algeria, departs for Cameroon
- Pope, in remarks to journalists, highlights importance, relevance of St. Augustine
- Pope calls on Cameroon to embrace peace, break chains of corruption
- ‘Jesus cares especially for children like you,’ Pope tells orphans in Cameroon
Day 4 (April 16)
- Pope hails peacemaking efforts of Christian, Muslim leaders in Cameroon
- Now is the time to change this country, Pope preaches in Cameroon
- Pope meets with several Muslim leaders in Cameroon
Day 5 (April 17)
- ‘Bring the bread of life to your neighbors,’ Pope preaches in Cameroon’s largest city
- Societies flourish on the foundation of upright consciences that seek the truth, Pope tells university students
Day 6 (April 18)
- Draw near to the suffering and the poor, as Jesus did, Pope preaches at final Cameroon Mass
- Pope Leo departs from Cameroon, says his remarks there did not refer to President Trump
- Pope hails joy of Angola’s people, denounces extractivism
Day 7 (April 19)
- Pope, at Mass in Angola, warns faithful against syncretism, encourages them to ‘become like broken bread’
- Pope renews call for peace in Ukraine, Middle East
- May the Mother of the Heart make our hearts like hers, Pope says at Rosary in Angola
Day 8 (April 20)
- Pope flies to remote Angolan city, visits nursing home
- Reject superstition and follow Christ in freedom, Pope preaches at Mass in Angola
- ‘The first path is fidelity to Christ,’ Pope tells Angola’s priests and religious
Day 9 (April 21)
- Pope departs from Angola, heads to Equatorial Guinea
- Addressing journalists, Pope Leo recalls Pope Francis, says no date set to name new cardinals
- Serve the city of God and not love of self, Pope exhorts Equatorial Guinea’s leaders
- In Christ, the harmony between truth, reason, and freedom is manifest, Pope tells university community
- In Christian civilization, the sick are loved, Pope says at psychiatric hospital
Day 10 (April 22)
- Pope emphasizes the Eucharist and evangelization at Mass in Equatorial Guinea
- Pope tells prisoners: ‘No one is excluded from God’s love!’
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