Tens of Thousands Gather Outside Angolan Capital for Pope Leo Mass

Pope urges Angola to overcome divisions at Mass attended by 100,000 people

Pope Leo's Visit to Angola: Messages of Unity and Hope

By Yesim Dikmen and Joshua McElwee

Mass Gathering in Kilamba

KILAMBA, Angola, April 19 (Reuters) - Pope Leo urged Angolans on Sunday to overcome divisions after decades of bloody conflict in an address to an estimated 100,000 people who flocked to a Mass in a dirt field near the capital Luanda.

In one of the biggest events of his four-nation Africa tour, the pope called Angola, which experienced a bloody, 27-year civil war from 1975 to 2002, a "beautiful yet wounded country."

He urged Angolans to "build together a country where old divisions are overcome once and for all, where hatred and violence disappear."

Faithful Gather Despite Challenges

Believers began arriving before dawn at Kilamba, a sprawling housing complex, braving hot and humid conditions to hear the address from the pope, who has become outspoken on war and inequality and angered U.S. President Donald Trump.

By the time the Mass began, throngs of people filled the site, dancing and shouting as Leo drove through in his white popemobile.

Among those welcoming Leo was Sister Christina Matende, who arrived around 6 a.m. (0500 GMT) for the Mass.

"The pope coming here is a joy," she said. "We are living in a moment of a lot of difficulties."

Angola's Socioeconomic Context

Angola is one of the leading oil-producing countries in sub-Saharan Africa, but its population of 36.6 million people is still confronting extreme poverty, with more than 30% living on less than $2.15 per day, according to the World Bank.

More than half of the country identifies as Catholic.

Pope Leo's Address to Political Leaders

Pope Denounces 'Despots and Tyrants'

POPE DENOUNCES 'DESPOTS AND TYRANTS'

Leo, the first U.S. pope, is visiting Angola on the third leg of a four-nation Africa tour. In a speech to the country's political leaders on Saturday, he decried the exploitation of natural resources on the continent.

The pope blasted "despots and tyrants" who he said guarantee wealth but do not deliver on their promises, leading to suffering and deaths.

Call for Responsible Leadership

He also urged political leaders to focus on helping all their people, and not just corporate interests.

"History will then vindicate you, even if in the near term some may oppose you," he said.

Public Reaction to the Pope's Message

Anielka Caliata, 25, who was in the crowd waiting for the pope in Kilamba on Sunday, said she was grateful for the way the pope has debuted a forceful speaking style on his Africa tour.

"Our country needs a lot of this message and I think the pope will help us to think and reflect about that, knowing that all of us need to work together and do our best to have peace," she said, as she stood with her fiancé and parents. 

(Additional reporting by Joshua McElwee in Luanda. Editing by Robbie Corey-Boulet and Jane Merriman)