Pope Leo XIV starts a four-nation visit to Africa Monday, visiting the fastest-growing continent for the Catholic Church as he embarks on his fourth foreign trip since becoming pontiff in 2025.

While the trip does not include the continent’s most populous nation of Nigeria — where thousands of the faithful have been killed for their religious beliefs — it begins in the Muslim-majority country of Algeria.

The Vatican has called the trip "A pilgrim in Africa." The main themes Leo is expected to address include peace, migration, the environment, young people and the family, according to the Holy See. He will make 25 speeches in four of Africa’s main languages — French, English, Portuguese and Spanish.

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Analysts and clerics are keen to stress the overall importance of this visit to the continent. "I believe the Holy Father is walking with the African church in the context of the global church," Rev. Daniel Male, secretary of the Union of Augustinian Friars of Africa, told the Religion News Service. He added, "He is affirming the African churches’ growth and vibrancy and is also making a statement that the church has a preferential option for the poor and those at the margins."

The Catholic OSV News added the visit "highlights peace efforts, the works of mercy, and the Catholic Church’s vibrant presence on the continent."

The National Catholic Register stated that in 1910 Africa was home to less than 1 million Catholics. The latest figures available for 2024 estimate there are now 288 million.

Commenting on his absence from Nigeria, Frans Cronje, African-based analyst at the Yorktown Foundation for Freedom, told Fox News Digital, "Given Nigeria's role as the epicenter of the terror threat faced by Africa's Christians, it will be disappointing to many of them to learn that the pope has left that country off his Africa agenda. The country has become ground zero for the global Islamist terror threat."

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The pontiff must be invited to a country by the host government. Analysts say the government of Nigeria may feel a papal visit may be too sensitive at this time. But the Nigerian government did not respond to requests for comment on this issue by Fox News Digital.

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Details of the trip include:

The Vatican’s yearbook for 2025, the Annuario Pontificio, states Catholics number 8,740 out of a population of 46–48 million. The pope is believed to be coming to Algeria to visit the ancient city of Hippo, now called Annaba. The city was home to St. Augustine, the "doctor of the church." Pope Leo is the first pontiff to belong to the Augustinian Order.

He is also expected to emphasize interfaith dialogue with Islam when he visits the Great Mosque of Algiers. This is one of the biggest in the world, capable of accommodating up to 120,000 people.

The 2026 Open Doors World Watch List placed Algeria in the 20th position for Christian persecution. It said 47 churches of the Protestant Church of Algeria (EPA) have been closed by the authorities.

The Associated Press reported that Algerian authorities rejected a Vatican request for Leo to visit Médéa to pray at the Tibhirine monastery, the place where seven French Trappist monks were kidnapped and killed May 21, 1996, by Islamic extremists during the country’s civil war.

The Catholic EWTN organization reports that Catholics make up between 30% and 35% of the population of some 30 million.

The pope will preside over five public Masses and addresses in three cities. He will also meet with vulnerable children at the Ngul Zamba Orphanage in the capital city of Yaoundé.

In the latest government census, some 56% of Angola’s population identified as being Catholic.

The most significant part of the pope’s visit to Angola is expected to be when he goes to the town of Muxima, where he will pray at a shrine to the Virgin Mary, known locally as "Mama Muxima," or "mother of the heart." This is said to be the spiritual home for many Angolans, drawing over 2 million pilgrims every year.

The Vatican has stated that approximately 80% of the population of Equatorial Guinea are Catholic. Leo will hold several Masses and addresses, and will visit a new psychiatric hospital and a prison. The Jean Pierre Olie Psychiatric Hospital in Sampaka, Malabo, was only inaugurated in December and is the country’s first modern specialized mental health facility. It collaborates with France’s Hospital Saint-Anne in Paris.

In a potentially controversial move, the pope will also visit a prison in Bata notorious for reports of inmate torture and abuse.

The Vatican did not respond to Fox News Digital questions by press time.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Pope Leo in a Saturday vigil for peace, called out the "delusion of omnipotence" he claimed is fueling war.

"In prayer, our limited human possibilities are joined to the infinite possibilities of God. Thoughts, words and deeds then break the demonic cycle of evil and are placed at the service of the Kingdom of God," he said in a prayer service at St. Peter’s Basilica.

He continued, "A Kingdom in which there is no sword, no drone, no vengeance, no trivialization of evil, no unjust profit, but only dignity, understanding and forgiveness. It is here that we find a bulwark against that delusion of omnipotence that surrounds us and is becoming increasingly unpredictable and aggressive."

In posts on X and during the prayer vigil, the pontiff also warned that war "divides" while hope and faith unite humanity.

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"Enough of the idolatry of self and money. Enough of the display of power. Enough of war," he wrote. "True strength is shown in serving life."

The archbishop of Tehran, Belgian Cardinal Dominique Joseph Mathieu, was among those in the pews.

Leo’s words came on the same day Vice President JD Vance and a U.S. delegation began face-to-face talks with Iran amid an uneasy ceasefire.

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They were some of the first American pontiff’s strongest words yet after he called President Donald Trump’s threat against Iran on Tuesday "truly unacceptable."  

"Today, as we all know, there has also been this threat against the entire people of Iran, and this is truly unacceptable," the pope said earlier this week. "There are certainly issues of international law here, but even more so a moral issue for the good of the whole entire population."

Trump had written on Truth Social "A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will... God Bless the Great People of Iran!"

Hours later, the president announced a two-week ceasefire subject to Iran agreeing to "the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz," the president wrote in another post.

As the high-stakes talks began on Saturday in Islamabad, Trump told reporters outside the White House: "We win regardless of what happens. Maybe they make a deal, maybe they don’t."

For more than a month, the pope limited his remarks to muted appeals for peace, but in his Easter blessing last Sunday, he urged "those with weapons lay them down. Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace."

Leo also invoked what he said were the final words that Pope Francis issued to the world from the same balcony one year ago, during which the late pontiff warned of a "globalization of indifference."

"What a great thirst for death, for killing we witness each day in the many conflicts raging in different parts of the world," Leo said, quoting Francis.

Fox News' Jasmine Baehr and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Pope Leo XIV gave his first Easter blessing as pontiff on Sunday, calling for peace and urging the world not to grow indifferent to the deaths of tens of thousands in violent conflicts around the world.

Leo gave the traditional Urbi et Orbi blessing from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to a crowd in St. Peter’s Square that Vatican media described as numbering over 50,000.

Leo said that in a world hurt by wars and abuses, people need hope and peace, urging against growing accustomed to violence and indifferent to the death of tens of thousands. 

"On this day of celebration let us abandon every desire for conflict domination and power and implore the Lord to grant his peace to a world ravaged by wars and marked by a hatred and indifference that makes us feel powerless to the face of evil," the pope said.

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Leo reminded the faithful that "the power with which Christ rose is entirely nonviolent."

"In the light of Easter, let us allow ourselves to be amazed by Christ," he said. "Let us allow our hearts transformed by his immense love for us. Let those with weapons lay them down. Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace. Not a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue. Not through a desire to dominate others, but to encounter them."

Leo also invoked what he said were the final words that Pope Francis issued to the world from the same balcony one year ago, during which the late pontiff warned of a "globalization of indifference."

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"What a great thirst for death, for killing we witness each day in the many conflicts raging in different parts of the world," Leo said, quoting Francis.

Leo concluded the blessing by wishing everyone a happy Easter in 10 different languages and singing the Regina Ceoli. 

Leo earlier held his first Easter Mass as pope, in which he called for the faithful to exercise hope against "the violence of war that kills and destroys,’’ adding that in the face of conflicts spreading around the world, "we need this song of hope today."

Leo has repeatedly called for a halt in hostilities as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran enters its second month and Russia continues its violent campaign in Ukraine.

Fox News' Courtney Walsh contributed to this report.

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday called for an immediate ceasefire in the war involving Iran, delivering his strongest remarks yet on the conflict and urging leaders responsible for the fighting to halt violence after deadly strikes that hit schools and civilian areas.

The Associated Press reported the pope made the remarks at the end of his Sunday noon blessing at the Vatican, where he appealed to leaders involved in the conflict to halt the fighting and pursue dialogue instead of continued military escalation.

"On behalf of the Christians of the Middle East and all women and men of good will, I appeal to those responsible for this conflict," Leo said. "Cease fire so that avenues for dialogue may be reopened. Violence can never lead to the justice, stability, and peace that the people are waiting for."

Leo did not cite the U.S. or Israel by name, though he appeared to reference an attack in the opening days of the war that struck a school in Iran and killed more than 165 people, many of them children.

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U.S. officials said the strike may have been based on outdated intelligence, and an investigation into the incident is underway.

The pope said he was particularly close to the families of victims killed in attacks that have struck schools, hospitals and residential areas during the conflict.

He also expressed concern about the impact of the fighting in Lebanon, where aid groups have warned the escalating conflict could trigger a humanitarian crisis.

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Christian communities in southern Lebanon are of particular concern to the Vatican, as they have long been seen as an important presence for Christians across a largely Muslim region.

For much of the two weeks since the conflict began, Leo has limited his public comments to broader appeals for peace and dialogue while avoiding direct references to the U.S. or Israel – a stance consistent with the Vatican’s longstanding tradition of diplomatic neutrality.

Some Catholic leaders, however, have taken a more direct stance on the conflict.

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Cardinal Robert McElroy, the archbishop of Washington, described the war as morally unjustifiable, while Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich criticized the White House for sharing social media posts about the war that included video game-style imagery.

Meanwhile, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin rejected Washington’s characterization of the fighting as a "preventive war," but said the Holy See continues to keep lines of communication open with all sides.

"The Holy See speaks with everyone," Parolin said. "When necessary we speak also with the Americans, with the Israelis and show them what to us are the solutions."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

People Leo XIV on Saturday announced the appointment of the Vatican’s new ambassador, Apostolic Nuncio, to the U.S. to help manage strained relations with the Trump administration.

Italian Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, 68, a veteran Vatican diplomat who is currently ambassador to the United Nations, previously served as ambassador to the Philippines and Lebanon.

Caccia is replacing 80-year-old Cardinal Christophe Pierre, who is retiring.

"I receive this mission with both joy and a sense of trepidation," Caccia said after the appointment, according to the Vatican News. He added that his mission was "at the service of communion and peace," remembering that 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the U.S.

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The pope and President Donald Trump have been at odds over key issues for the White House, including immigration and the war in Iran.

Pierre's ambassadorship was also at times at odds with the more conservative U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops while representing Pope Francis’ more progressive priorities.

"Stability and peace are not built with mutual threats, nor with weapons, which sow destruction, pain and death, but only through a reasonable, authentic and responsible dialogue," the American-born pope said Sunday after the U.S. and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran, according to the outlet Chicago Catholic.

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"Faced with the possibility of a tragedy of enormous proportions, I address to the parties involved a heartfelt appeal to assume the moral responsibility to stop the spiral of violence before it becomes an irreparable abyss."

In early January, Leo also delivered a major policy speech, mostly in English, after the U.S. military action in Venezuela.

"War is back in vogue, and a zeal for war is spreading," the pope warned in the speech.

Trump called it a "great honor for our country" when Leo was elected pope last May after Pope Francis’ death. When asked about Leo’s remarks earlier this year seemingly pressing him on policy, Trump told Politico he hadn’t seen the statements from the pontiff, but "I’m sure he’s a lovely man."

He also said he had met with the pope’s brother, who he called "serious MAGA."

Last fall, the pope suggested that supporting the "inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States" is not "pro-life," leaving White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt to "reject there was inhumane treatment of illegal immigrants in the United States under this administration."

Leavitt, who is Catholic, added that the administration always tries to be as humane as possible while enforcing laws.

Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, current president of the U.S. conference, said after Caccia’s appointment, "On behalf of my brother bishops, I wish to extend our warmest welcome and our prayerful support to him as he carries out his responsibilities across the United States."

Trump won 59% of the Catholic vote in the 2024 election, according to Politico.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Pope Leo XIV this week said he "can’t" comment on the 20-year sentence imposed on a democracy activist in Hong Kong. 

"I can’t comment," the American-born Leo told EWTN News, which covers Catholic news globally, while speaking to reporters in Italy. 

"Let’s pray for less hatred and more peace and work for authentic dialogue. God bless you all." 

Hong Kong publisher and democracy activist Jimmy Lai, who is a converted Catholic, was sentenced to 20 years by Beijing last month for violating its 2020 national security law, which U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called "unjust and tragic."

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"The conviction shows the world that Beijing will go to extraordinary lengths to silence those who advocate fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong," Rubio said in a statement. "The United States urges the authorities to grant Mr. Lai humanitarian parole."

The 78-year-old founded the now-closed Hong Kong-based Apple Daily in 1995, while the island was still under British rule. 

Lai’s sentence closed one of the country’s most consequential national security cases since Beijing imposed the sweeping new law in 2020 after months-long anti-Chinese Communist Party protests in 2019, which were sparked by fears Beijing was eroding Hong Kong’s promised autonomy. 

They were followed by a sweeping security crackdown that criminalized dissent and reshaped the city’s legal system.

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Lai was arrested several times during the 2019 protests, and he was detained at his home in 2020. His newspaper was also raided at the time and closed. 

He was found guilty in December of attempting to undermine national security. 

President Donald Trump said in December he had personally urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to release Lai. 

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"I spoke to President Xi about it, and I asked to consider his release," Trump said. "He’s not well. He’s an older man, and he’s not well, so I did put that request out. We’ll see what happens."