Pope Leo XIV to Include Angola Visit in First African Tour as Pontiff

Planned Papal

Visit to Angola The pope plans to visit a Catholic chapel in Angola connected to the slave trade.

The chapel is a shrine where enslaved Africans were baptized before being forced into the Atlantic Ocean voyage. This visit forms part of his broader African tour. Around 40% of Angola's population is Catholic.

Angola has 37 million people, according to Olivio Nkilumbo. The country was a Portuguese colony until 1975, after which it entered a civil war that lasted on and off for 27 years and killed more than half a million people.

Pope's Heritage and Decision for Tour

Discovered last year that the pope has Creole heritage. The pope's name is Robert Prevost, and his maternal great-grandparents were described as people of color in Louisiana census records.

He had Black and white ancestors who included both enslaved people and slave owners. Some of the first slaves to arrive in Louisiana were sent from Angola, according to historians. The pope has not spoken publicly about his heritage.

The pope decided in May of last year, soon after his election, that Africa would be his first trip as pope.

Recent Vatican Developments and Expert Context A

monsignor from Nigeria was recently promoted to a high-ranking position at the Vatican, according to Stan Chu Ilo.

Stan Chu Ilo is a Nigerian priest and professor at DePaul University in Chicago. Mariana Candido is a professor of history at Emory University in Atlanta.