Pope Leo XIV to visit Angola shrine tied to slave trade

Pope Leo XIV was due to visit Angola’s Mama Muxima shrine on Sunday after celebrating Mass near Luanda, in a stop that brings fresh attention to one of the country’s most important Catholic sites and its painful connection to the slave trade.

The visit follows his call for Angolans to confront corruption and build a culture of justice and shared responsibility. as cited by AP news.

According to the Vatican’s official programme, the pope was scheduled to travel to Muxima on April 19 for a Rosary prayer at the sanctuary.

The site, built during the Portuguese colonial era, remains one of Angola’s best-known Catholic pilgrimage centers and is also remembered for its place in the history of enslaved Africans who passed through the region.

The stop fits into the wider schedule of Leo’s April 13-23 Africa journey, which includes visits to Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea.

In Angola, the Muxima visit adds a strong historical and symbolic layer to a trip that has combined public worship, appeals for justice and reflections on Africa’s place in the Church’s future.