Pope Leo XIV Bypasses Africa’s Catholic Giants for Visits to Algeria and Equatorial Guinea

Pope Leo XIV visits Algeria and Equatorial Guinea but skips Nigeria and the DRC, sparking debate over Vatican priorities and security concerns in Africa.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 23, 2026, 6:16 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from The New York Times

Strategic vs. Pastoral Priorities

Pope Leo XIV’s current African tour has raised questions regarding the Vatican’s criteria for selecting host nations. While the Pope’s visits to Cameroon and Angola were seen as pastoral necessities due to their massive Catholic populations, other stops have been more unconventional. The pontiff recently spent three days in Algeria, a nation that is almost entirely Muslim and contains only a few thousand Catholics. On Tuesday, he moved on to Equatorial Guinea, a majority-Catholic nation but one of the smallest and most politically restricted countries on the continent. This shift toward smaller or mission-focused territories has left many in Africa’s largest Catholic hubs feeling overlooked.

The Exclusion of Nigeria and the DRC

The most notable absences from the papal itinerary are the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Nigeria. Together, these two nations represent nearly 90 million Catholics and serve as the primary engines for the growth of Catholicism in the 21st century. Many local clergy and laypeople expected a visit from Leo XIV to bolster the faith in regions facing significant hardship. The decision to bypass these "Catholic giants" has led to speculation that the Vatican is prioritizing missionary work in secular or minority-faith areas over the maintenance of established strongholds.

Security and Conflict Concerns

While the Vatican has remained silent on the specific reasons for the itinerary, analysts suggest that safety may have played a significant role. The eastern DRC remains mired in a brutal war, and Nigeria has recently suffered a series of high-profile terrorist attacks. Some observers believe the Pope’s advisors may have deemed the security risks in these regions too high for a formal papal visit at this time. However, others argue that a visit to these conflict zones is precisely the type of "pastoral accompaniment" the church needs to provide to its most vulnerable followers.