As he flew on Wednesday from Algiers to Yaoundé, Pope Leo XIV offered the 70-odd reporters traveling with him aboard the papal plane his thoughts on his just-concluded Apostolic Journey to Algeria.
The Pope said the military escort afforded the papal plane in Algerian airspace is a “sign of the goodness, of the generosity, of the respect that the Algerian people and the Algerian government have wished to show to the Holy See, to myself.”
He also thanked the “very small but very significant” presence of the Catholic Church in Algeria for their welcome.
Pope Leo XIV said Algerian Christians offer a profound witness of how to live in peace with their Muslim brothers and sisters, despite any cultural or religious differences.
“In two days in Algeria, we’ve really had a wonderful opportunity to continue to build bridges, to promote dialogue,” he concluded. “I think the visit to the mosque was significant and to say that although we have different beliefs, we have different ways of worshiping, we have different ways of living, we can live together in peace.”