Colombian President praises peace after Pope’s Algeria visit

Colombian President Gustavo Petro posted an image on his X account (formerly Twitter) showing Pope Leo XIV with Sheikh Mohamed Mamoun Al-Kassimi Al-Hassani, the Rector of Djamaâ El-Djazaïr.

He accompanied the photo with a caption stating: “Making peace between different civilizations. This is the path of humanity,” coinciding with the historic visit of Pope Leo XIV to Algeria, the first-ever papal visit to the country.

This visit marks the first leg of an 11-day African tour that will also include Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea.

During the visit, the Pope emphasized the importance of “building bridges and fostering dialogue,” highlighting Algeria’s ancient Christian heritage, particularly its connection to Saint Augustine, who was born in Thagaste (modern-day Souk Ahras) in eastern Algeria.