Pope Leo XIV visits Algeria to promote interfaith dialogue amid regional coexistence efforts

Pope Leo XIV made a historic visit to Algeria in April 2026 to advance interfaith dialogue between the Catholic Church and Muslim-majority communities. During the visit, Father Fred Wekesa, Rector of the Basilica of Saint Augustine in Annaba, highlighted over a decade of lived experience demonstrating coexistence and tolerance in the country. Wekesa challenged narratives shaped by Algeria's civil conflict in the 1990s, arguing that contemporary reality reflects interfaith cooperation rather than inherited perceptions of violence. The papal visit represents a significant diplomatic moment for religious reconciliation in North Africa.