Pope Leo XIV’s Tuesday pilgrimage to the ancient Roman ruins in Annaba, Algeria, brought his pontificate’s spiritual focus into a highly visible setting—one that also reflects his broader messaging on peace. The pope walked in the footsteps of St. Augustine, his spiritual father, at the site identified as the place where the fifth-century Christian lived, died and wrote.
Leo arrived for the visit amid rain and with tight security, including sharpshooters positioned around the archaeological area and policemen stationed every few yards along the roads leading to it. He prayed under a tent overlooking the ruins, where the ancient city’s theater, market and basilica stand, alongside the baptistry where Augustine preached.
As part of a peace-themed ceremony, the pope planted an olive tree and watched as white doves were set free. After the prayer and rites, he walked amid the muddy ruins for a few minutes, pausing to listen to an Algerian choir.
Leo also received accompaniment from the head of the Augustinian religious order connected to the saint, the Rev. Joseph Farrell, as he moved through the site. The pope’s tour is framed as part of his effort to press a message of peace and Christian-Muslim coexistence, with Augustine presented as a bridge-builder for the present day.
In remarks carried by the Associated Press during the visit, Leo described the visit to Augustine’s legacy as personally significant. He said the “journey” is special for several reasons and described how, after his election, he had planned that his first trip as pope would include visiting Africa, with Algeria suggested because of St. Augustine.
The pope also made a direct link between Augustine’s legacy and interreligious dialogue. He said, “We must always seek bridges to build peace and reconciliation,” and added that the trip represents a “valuable opportunity to continue with the same voice, with the same message” of promoting “peace, reconciliation, respect and consideration for all peoples.”
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune told the pope’s visit is something Algerians view with “immense pride.” He described Augustine as “a cherished son of this land,” saying that after being his first cradle, it “proudly became his initial resting place.”
Leo’s focus on Augustine also highlights what the pope and other figures have framed as North Africa’s role in shaping what is often treated as a Eurocentric story of Western Christianity. St. Augustine was born in 354 in Thagaste to a Berber mother and a Roman father, educated and taught rhetoric in Carthage, and later went to Rome; he returned to his homeland, founded a monastery at Hippo and wrote works including “Confessions” and “The City of God,” which have become central texts in Christian theology.
An Augustine scholar, Catherine Conybeare of Bryn Mawr College, told the Associated Press that recognizing Augustine as coming from Africa changes how his legacy is understood. Conybeare said, “One of the most important thinkers in the Western intellectual tradition actually came from Africa, spent almost his whole life in Africa,” and asked, “How does that change things?” She also said later generations in Europe were positioned to tell his story, and that Europe eventually received Augustine’s body after he died in Hippo in 430.
The visit continued with Leo finishing the day at the Basilica of St. Augustine in Annaba, a 19th-century basilica overlooking the ruins of Hippo that contains the relics associated with the saint. The Associated Press reported that thousands of pilgrims visit the basilica each year, including Muslims, reflecting the location’s role as a point of contact between religious communities.