Archbishop Imbamba thanked Pope Leo XIV for accepting the invitation to visit Angola.<\/p>\n
Angola is one of the countries Pope Leo XIV plans to visit in what will be his first pastoral trip to the continent of Africa as pontiff, the apostolic nuncio in the southern African nation has announced.<\/p>\n
Addressing journalists during a press conference on Tuesday, Archbishop Kryspin Witold Dubiel confirmed that the Holy Father had accepted invitations from both the Catholic bishops of Angola and the country\u2019s President Jo\u00e3o Louren\u00e7o, adding that the timelines and itinerary of the visit and program are still being finalized.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt this moment, we are preparing the plan and program for Pope Leo XIV\u2019s visit to Africa. We do not yet have details on the exact date or program, but these will be communicated as soon as they are defined,\u201d Dubiel said.<\/p>\n
The native of Poland\u2019s Diocese of Przemy\u015bl invited all Angolan citizens to prepare for this significant event.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope that the Holy Father\u2019s visit will be an opportunity to rediscover the values that have shaped the Angolan people and to share these values with the diverse communities that live and work around the world,\u201d said the Vatican diplomat in Angola, who also represents the Holy Father in S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9 and Pr\u00edncipe.<\/p>\n
Also speaking at the press conference was the president of the Bishops\u2019 Conference of Angola and S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9 and Pr\u00edncipe, who called upon Angolans to participate in the committees that will be established to prepare for the papal visit.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach of these committees should give their best in the preparation, promotion, and realization of all tasks assigned,\u201d Archbishop Jos\u00e9 Manuel Imbamba of Angola\u2019s Saurimo Archdiocese said.<\/p>\n
Archbishop Imbamba thanked Pope Leo XIV for accepting the invitation to visit Angola.<\/p>\n
Archbishop Filomeno do Nascimento Vieira Dias of Angola\u2019s Archdiocese of Luandadescribed the planned papal trip as a \u201cmoment of great human and spiritual comfort,\u201d occurring during a special period in the history of Christianity and in the year marking the \u201cgrand jubilee of Luanda \u2014 450 years as a city, 450 years celebrating the faith.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dias emphasized that the visit places Angola on the path of evangelization and universality.<\/p>\n
He went on to thank the Angolan government for \u201copening the doors\u201d and for accepting to collaborate with faith-based leaders to facilitate the papal visit.<\/p>\n
In December 2025, Pope Leo XIV reportedly indicated that he would visit Africa in 2026, naming Algeria as a possible initial destination. Angola, Equatorial Guinea, and Cameroon were also mentioned as potential stops.<\/p>\n
Pope Leo is the first pontiff in modern history with firsthand knowledge of Africa. Unlike his predecessors, he has already been to eastern, western, southern, northern, and central Africa in person.<\/p>\n
As he began his papacy following his May 2025 election, the American-born member of the Order of St. Augustine had already visited Kenya at least half a dozen times, the regional vicar of the order in the east African nation told ACI Africa \u2014 the last visit to the country having taken place in December 2024.<\/p>\n
In a May 12, 2025, interview, Father Robert Karanja Ireri, superior of the Order of St. Augustine in Kenya, recalled that Pope Leo XIV had visited the neighboring Tanzania, confirming the country\u2019s Daily News report that he had visited the East African nation multiple times.<\/p>\n
Karanja also confirmed that Pope Leo XIV visited Algeria in North Africa.<\/p>\n
Some members of the Augustinian Sisters of the Mercy of Jesus in South Africa recalled their interaction with Pope Leo XIV, then Father Robert Francis Prevost, when he visited the southern African nation.<\/p>\n
According to the Nigeria Catholic Network\u2019s May 10 report, Pope Leo would not be \u201ca stranger to Nigeria, as records show that he has visited the country on at least nine occasions between 2001 and 2016.\u201d<\/p>\n
In his capacity as Augustinian prior general, Prevost presided over the inauguration of the Augustinian University in the capital city of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kinshasa, in 2009.<\/p>\n
This article was published by NCRegister.<\/p>\n