Rome —
On Monday, Pope Leo XIV’s is setting off on a long Africa trip, the first of his papacy to bear a clear personal stamp.
Between April 13-23, the pope will travel to four countries, crisscrossing a continent pivotal to the 21st-century church he leads. Christian-Muslim relations will be high on his agenda.
It’s a trip that comes as the first American pope is increasingly speaking out against the current conflict in the Middle East, saying God can’t be used to justify war, while Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, frames the US war effort as divinely supported. Leo’s decision to visit Algeria, a Muslim-majority nation, and tackle inter-faith relations also points to him…