Pope, at Mass in Angola, warns faithful against syncretism, encourages them to become like broken bread

April 19, 2026

Pope Leo XIV celebrated Sunday Mass this morning in Angola. In his homily, he reminded the faithful that the risen Christ is with them in their suffering, warned them against syncretic practices, and called upon them to become like bread broken for others.

Today is the seventh day of the Pope Leo’s apostolic journey to four African nations, and his second day in Angola (map), a nation of 39 million that is 92% Christian (52% Catholic) and 6% ethnic religionist. The Pontiff celebrated Mass in Quilamba (Kilamba), a city that is 20 miles from Luanda, the nation’s capital. Cheering crowds greeted the Pope as he was driven to the site of the Mass (video).

Reflecting on Christ’s appearance on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35), the Gospel reading of the Third Sunday of Easter, Pope Leo recalled that “two of the Lord’s disciples, with broken and sad hearts, set out from Jerusalem to return to the village of Emmaus. They had seen the death of Jesus, whom they had faithfully followed. They were returning home disappointed and disheartened.”

“Brothers and sisters, in this opening scene of the Gospel, I see a reflection of the history of Angola, of this beautiful yet wounded country, which hungers and thirsts for hope, peace and fraternity,” the Pope commented. Referring to the Angolan Civil War (1975-2002), he said that “the conversation along the road between the two disciples, who reflected with sorrow on what had happened to their Master, brings to mind the pain that has marked your country: a long civil war with its aftermath of enmities and divisions, of squandered resources and poverty.”

“Dear friends, the Good News of the Lord, even for us today, is precisely this: he is alive, he has risen, and he walks beside us as we journey along the path of suffering and bitterness, opening our eyes so that we may recognize his work and granting us the grace to start afresh and rebuild the future,” Pope Leo said.

Reflecting on how the disciples on the road to Emmaus recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread, the Pontiff warned against syncretism:

We experience the Lord’s companionship above all in our relationship with him, in prayer, in listening to his word that sets our hearts ablaze like it did to the hearts of the two disciples. This takes place especially in the celebration of the Eucharist. It is here that we encounter God.

For this reason, we must always be vigilant regarding those forms of traditional religiosity that certainly belong to the roots of your culture, but at the same time risk confusing and mixing magical and superstitious elements that do not aid your spiritual journey. Remain faithful to what the Church teaches, trust your pastors, and keep your gaze fixed on Jesus, who reveals himself in the word and in the Eucharist. In both we experience that the risen Lord walks beside us and, united to him, we too overcome the “deaths” that besiege us and live as those who have “risen.”

Pope Leo then preached that “if the two disciples on the road to Emmaus recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread, this means that we too must recognize him in this way: not only in the Eucharist, but wherever there is a life that becomes like broken bread, wherever someone offers himself or herself as a gift of compassion like him.” The Church, too, said Pope Leo, is called to be like broken bread:

The history of your country, the ongoing difficult consequences you endure, the social and economic problems and the various forms of poverty call for the presence of a Church that knows how to walk alongside you and how to heed the cry of its children. A Church that, with the light of the word and the nourishment of the Eucharist, knows how to rekindle lost hope. A Church made up of people like you who give of themselves just as Jesus gave of himself in the breaking of the bread for the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Angola needs bishops, priests, missionaries, men and women religious, and lay people who carry in their hearts the desire to “break” their own lives and give them to others, to commit themselves to mutual love and forgiveness, to build spaces of fraternity and peace, and to perform acts of compassion and solidarity towards those most in need.

“Through the grace of the risen Christ, we can become like this broken bread that transforms reality,” the Pope added. “Just as the Eucharist reminds us that we are one body and one spirit, united to the one Lord, so it is possible to build together a country where old divisions are overcome once and for all, where hatred and violence disappear, and where the scourge of corruption is healed by a new culture of justice and sharing. Only in this way will a promising future be possible, especially for the many young people who have lost hope.”

The Pope concluded with a reference to the Marian shrine of Our Lady of Muxima:

Brothers and sisters, today we need to look to the future with hope and to build the hope of the future. Do not be afraid to do so! The risen Jesus, who walks the path with you and breaks himself as bread for you, encourages you to be witnesses of his Resurrection and protagonists of a new humanity and a new society.

On this journey, dear friends, you can count on the Pope’s closeness and prayers! But I too know I can count on you, and I thank you! I entrust you to the protection and intercession of the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Muxima, that she may always sustain you in faith, hope and charity.

 

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Further information:

• Apostolic Journey to Angola: Holy Mass in Kilamba (Dicastery for Communication - Vatican Media, 4/19/26)