Luanda, ANGOLA — Pope Leo XIV arrived in Luanda at 3:00 p.m. local time on Saturday, April 18, 2026, for the third leg of his African tour as a public dispute with United States President Donald Trump continues to escalate.
The Pontiff, the first from the United States, is the third head of the Catholic Church to visit the fossil fuel-rich nation after John Paul II in 1992 and Benedict XVI in 2009. Okay News reports that Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to meet with Angolan President Joao Lourenco and deliver a speech in a country where approximately 44 percent of the population identifies as Catholic.
The visit follows a three-day stop in Cameroon and unfolds against a backdrop of increasing friction between the Vatican and the White House regarding the Middle East conflict. President Trump recently described the 70-year-old Pope as “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy,” while Vice President JD Vance urged the Church to “stick to matters of morality.”
Pope Leo XIV responded to the criticism on Thursday by stating he does not fear the U.S. President and intensified his condemnation of “tyrants” and those using religion to justify war. During his time in Africa, the Pope has also issued warnings regarding corruption and the exploitation of the continent’s vast resources.
The Pope’s itinerary includes an open-air Mass in Kilamba on Sunday before he travels by helicopter to the Muxima pilgrimage site. On Monday, he will visit a retirement home in Saurimo before departing for Equatorial Guinea, the final destination of his 18,000-kilometer tour.
The Apostolic Journey is expected to conclude following his visit to Equatorial Guinea later next week.
