Sawt Falasteen - In Algeria, Saint Augustine's city anticipates Pope Leo's visit

For the city's small Christian community, Pope Leo XIV's visit is a powerful nod of recognition, and at the Basilica of Saint Augustine, preparations are well underway, overseen by rector Father Fred Wekesa.

Municipal workers, aided by members of the Order of Saint Augustine, are hard at work repainting the walls and polishing the statues ahead of the pope's visit to Algeria from April 13 to 15.

Elected in May last year, Pope Leo in his first speech loudly proclaimed his affinity for Saint Augustine, describing himself as a "son" of the famed theologian.

Augustine was born in 354 in the ancient city of Thagaste, now known as Souk Ahras, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) south of Annaba -- which lies atop the ancient Roman city of Hippo.

He would become the bishop of Hippo in 395, and it was there that he wrote his famous "Confessions", before dying in 430.

For Wekesa, Pope Leo's arrival will be "a great joy".

"He is the first pope to have thought of us and of coming to visit us. It is therefore a deeply significant moment," he added.

"We are what I call a 'small flock', a minority. But that does not mean we are forgotten," he said. "On the contrary... the Pope's presence supports us as a minority. It carries a message of encouragement and solidarity."

- 'Honour' -

Annaba, about 550 kilometres east of Algiers, has been transformed into a vast construction site in the meantime.

Work is underway to resurface and paint the road leading up to the basilica, perched on a hill overlooking the archaeological site that houses the remains of the Basilica of Peace, from which Saint Augustine once spread his teachings.

Imad, 54, said Pope Leo's visit is "a great honour for us, the Algerians of Annaba, because it is an important symbol of peace, not just for our community but for all Christians and Muslims".

Algerian authorities see the visit as having particular importance, with preparations personally overseen by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

Father Wekesa said he felt moved by the "spontaneous enthusiasm of the Algerians", who invited the pontiff as soon as he expressed a wish to visit.

He is certain that the visit "will also change the way Algeria is viewed" abroad and show the country's "true face".

"All too often, some people view this country only through the lens of the 'dark years'," he lamented, alluding to the country's bloody civil war from 1992 to 2002, when 200,000 people were killed in the conflict between Islamists and security forces.

Between 1994 and 1996, 19 Christian clerics were killed, including the bishop of Oran, Pierre Claverie, and the seven monks of Tibhirine, who were beatified in 2018.

"With the Holy Father's visit... the whole world will see the hospitality and generosity of the Algerian people", and "that we are capable of living together in peace", Wekesa continued.

- 'Solidarity' -

The vast majority of Annaba's Christian community is made up of scholarship students from sub-Saharan African countries and foreign workers, alongside a handful of Algerian converts, according to Wekesa.

Among those set to attend the pontiff's visit are students from the University of Batna, 270 kilometres south of Annaba, who came especially to participate in preparations.

For Patricia Kouago, 22, the arrival of a pope is an occasion "for Christians and Muslims to come together".

"It is also a sense of solidarity that we are building. His arrival could strengthen the bonds between us," she added.

J.Saleh--SF-PST