Pope Leo XIV calls for ‘hope’ before 100 000 faithful in Angola

Tens of thousands of people attended a giant open-air mass by Pope Leo XIV outside the Angolan capital Sunday, where he delivered a message of hope to the resource-rich country marked by poverty and inequality. Leo flew to Portuguese-speaking Angola on Saturday, the third leg of a whirlwind four-nation African tour on which he has condemned corruption and the plunder of the continent’s resources — and had a high-profile spat with US President Donald Trump. Around 100,000 people attended the pontiff’s first mass in Angola at Kilamba, around 30 kilometres (19 miles) from Luanda, the Vatican said, citing local authorities.

The pope encouraged the crowd “to look to the future with hope” in a “new beginning” for the nation still scarred by a 27-year civil war that ended in 2002. It was possible “to build a country where old divisions are overcome forever, where hatred and violence disappear, where the wound of corruption is healed by a new culture of justice and sharing”, Leo said. After arriving on Saturday from Cameroon, Leo went straight into an event with Angolan President Joao Lourenco and other officials, where he spoke out against the “suffering” caused by poverty and the rampant exploitation of natural resources — continuing the assertive tone of his 11-day tour.

Angola is one of Africa’s top oil producers and is rich in resources such as diamonds. However, economic disparities in the country are stark, and around a third of the population of 36.6 million people live in poverty, according to the World Bank. The population is largely young, with an average age of 23, according to official statistics. Patricio Musanga, 32, said he attended the mass looking for encouragement for young people, with a lack of work making many seek better opportunities in Western countries.