At the Basilica of St. Augustine, the pontiff urged Christians to bear witness through \u201csimple gestures, genuine relationships and a dialogue lived out day by day.\u201d<\/p>\n
ANNABA, Algeria \u2014 Pope Leo XIV concluded his visit to the land of St. Augustine by celebrating Mass at the Basilica of St. Augustine in Annaba, where he said the Church is continually reborn when it brings hope to the despairing, dignity to the poor, and reconciliation where there is conflict.<\/p>\n
The basilica, dedicated to the bishop of ancient Hippo, was built between 1881 and 1907 at the initiative of Algiers Archbishop Charles-Martial-Allemand Lavigerie and was elevated to the rank of minor basilica on April 24, 1914, by Pope Pius X. Restoration work was completed in 2013, with support that included a personal donation from Pope Benedict XVI.<\/p>\n
In his homily, the pope reflected on the Gospel account of Jesus\u2019 nighttime encounter with Nicodemus, presenting it as a summons to renewal for the whole Church and especially for Algeria\u2019s Christian community.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday we listen to the Gospel, the good news for all time, in this basilica in Annaba dedicated to St. Augustine, bishop of the ancient city of Hippo,\u201d the pope said. \u201cOver the centuries, the names of the places that welcome us have changed, but the saints continue to serve as our patrons and faithful witnesses of a connection to the land that comes from heaven.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leo said Jesus\u2019 words to Nicodemus \u2014 \u201cYou must be born from above\u201d \u2014 are not a burden but an invitation to freedom and new life in God.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuch is the invitation for every man and woman who seeks salvation!\u201d he said. \u201cJesus\u2019 invitation gives rise to the mission of the whole Church, and consequently to the Christian community in Algeria: to be born again from above, that is, from God. In this perspective, faith overcomes earthly hardships and the Lord\u2019s grace makes the desert blossom.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pope acknowledged that Christ\u2019s command can sound impossible at first but said it reveals God\u2019s power to renew human life.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the contrary, the obligation expressed by Jesus is a gift of freedom for us, because it reveals an unexpected possibility: We can be born anew from above thanks to God,\u201d Leo said. \u201cWe should do so, then, according to his loving will, which desires to renew humanity by calling us to a communion of life that begins with faith. While Christ invites us to renew our lives completely, he also gives us the strength to do so.\u201dHe then asked whether life can truly begin again and answered with hope rooted in the cross and Resurrection.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes! The Lord\u2019s response, so full of love, fills our hearts with hope,\u201d the pope said. \u201cNo matter how weighed down we are by pain or sin: The crucified One carries all these burdens with us and for us. No matter how discouraged we are by our own weaknesses: It is precisely then that God manifests his strength, the God who has raised Christ from the dead in order to give life to the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEach one of us can experience the freedom of new life that comes from faith in the Redeemer,\u201d he added. \u201cOnce again, St. Augustine offers us an example of this: We revere him for his conversion even more than for his wisdom.\u201d<\/p>\n
Turning to the Acts of the Apostles, Leo said the life of the early Church remains the model for genuine ecclesial reform.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven today, we must embrace this apostolic rule and put it into practice, meditating on it as an authentic criterion for ecclesial reform: a reform that must begin in the heart, if it is to be genuine, and must encompass everyone if it is to be effective,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The pope said the first Christian community was not founded on a merely human agreement but on communion in Christ.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe early Church, therefore, was not based on a social contract but rather on the harmony of faith, affections, ideas, and life decisions centered on the love of God who became man to save all the peoples of the earth,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
That unity, he said, must bear fruit in charity, especially amid poverty and oppression.<\/p>\n
\u201cTherefore, in the face of poverty and oppression, the guiding principle above all for Christians is charity: Let us do to those around us, as we would have them do to us,\u201d Leo said. \u201cInspired by this law, inscribed in our hearts by God, the Church is continually reborn, for where there is despair she kindles hope, where there is misery she brings dignity, and where there is conflict she brings reconciliation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Addressing bishops and priests, the pope said pastors are called above all to bear witness to God without fear or compromise.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe primary task of pastors as ministers of the Gospel is therefore to bear witness to God before the world with one heart and one soul, not permitting our concerns to lead us astray through fear, nor trends to undermine us through compromise,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cTogether with you, brothers in the episcopate and the priesthood, let us constantly renew this mission for the sake of those entrusted to us, so that through her service, the whole Church may be a message of new life for those we encounter,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
In his closing appeal, Leo addressed Algeria\u2019s Christians directly, praising their fidelity and urging them to continue witnessing to the Gospel in ordinary life.<\/p>\n
\u201cDearest Christians of Algeria, you remain a humble and faithful sign of Christ\u2019s love in this land,\u201d he said. \u201cBear witness to the Gospel through simple gestures, genuine relationships, and a dialogue lived out day by day: In this way, you bring flavor and light to the places where you live.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also praised their perseverance through hardship and invoked the example of the martyrs and of St. Augustine.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour history is one of generous hospitality and resilience in times of trial,\u201d the pope said. \u201cHere the martyrs prayed; here St. Augustine loved his flock, fervently seeking the truth and serving Christ with ardent faith. Be heirs to this tradition, bearing witness through fraternal charity to the freedom of those born from above as a hope of salvation for the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Several cardinals concelebrated the Mass with the pope, including Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, archbishop of Algiers; Cardinal Crist\u00f3bal L\u00f3pez Romero, archbishop of Rabat; and curial cardinals Pietro Parolin, George Koovakad, Luis Antonio Tagle, Peter Turkson, and Robert Sarah. Also among the concelebrants were Archbishop Paul Gallagher and Father Joseph Farrell, prior general of the Augustinians.<\/p>\n
Before the Mass, the pope visited the Augustinian community house and later had lunch with his confreres.<\/p>\n
At the end of the celebration, Bishop Michel Jean-Paul Guillaud of Constantine offered words of thanks to the pope.<\/p>\n
\u201cHoly Father, your visit to this place, a source of your Augustinian roots, was brief, but it was an encouragement for us,\u201d Guillaud said. \u201cFirst of all, it strengthened our Christian community in its faith and in its trust in the goodwill and respect of the Algerian people. We could not have welcomed you without the support and active collaboration of the authorities and the joyful hospitality of our Algerian brothers and sisters.\u201d<\/p>\n
The exchange of gifts followed: The pope received a ceramic work made by an Algerian artist, and he in turn gave a chalice.<\/p>\n
Leo then offered brief words of thanks of his own.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis journey has been for me a particular gift of God\u2019s providence, a gift that the Lord has wished to make to the whole Church,\u201d the pope said. \u201cAnd it seems to me that I can sum it up this way: God is love; he is the Father of all men and women. Let us return to God with humility\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
He continued: \u201cWe acknowledge that the current situation of the world is caught in a negative spiral that ultimately depends on our pride. We need him, we need his mercy, because only in him is the peace of the human heart found, and with him we will all be able to live together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Follow the Live Updates of Pope Leo\u2019s Trip in Africa available at\u00a0EWTN News.<\/p>\n
This story\u00a0was first published\u00a0by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.<\/p>\n