By Kielce Gussie
At his first public event in Algeria, Pope Leo XIV visited the Martyrs’ Monument, “Maqam Echahid,” which commemorates those who lost their lives in the Algerian War for Independence in 1954-1962.
After placing a wreath at the monument, the Pope’s first words were ones of thanksgiving for the opportunity to visit Algeria once again, “after having already done so twice as a spiritual son of Saint Augustine.”
The Pope stressed that he stands with them “first and foremost as a brother who is delighted to be able to renew, through this meeting, the bonds of affection that bring our hearts closer together.”
He explained he was seeing the face of “a strong and young people” as he looked out at the 2,000 people in the square in front of the monument. At the heart of the Algerian people are friendship, trust, and solidarity, which for them “are not merely words, but values that matter and give warmth and strength to your life together.”
True freedom comes with forgiveness
Looking back at the long history of the country, Pope Leo described it as rich in traditions but also painful, marked by periods of violence. “Precisely thanks to the nobility of spirit that characterizes you,” he said, “you have been able to overcome these trials with courage and integrity.”
The visit to the monument is a moment to pay tribute to the history of Algeria and the spirit of those who fought for independence, dignity, and sovereignty. With that in mind, the Pope encouraged everyone to “remember that God desires peace for every nation,” not simply a peace that is void of conflict but one that is “an expression of justice and dignity.”
This type of peace comes only through forgiveness, which he argued enables everyone to “face the future with a reconciled spirit.” The true fight for liberation will be won definitively “only when peace in our hearts has finally been achieved.”
The Holy Father acknowledged how difficult forgiveness can be. Yet, with ever-growing conflicts around the world, he stressed, “we cannot add resentment upon resentment, generation after generation.”
“The future belongs to men and women of peace,” he urged. “In the end, justice will always win over injustice, and violence will not have the last word.”
A land of cultural and religious intersections
In a country where there are different cultures and religions and ways of life, Pope Leo highlighted the importance of mutual respect. He expressed his hope that Algeria will continue to add to the stability and dialogue on the international stage.
Algeria, like every other nation, has a history, culture, and faith all its own. “Faith in God has a central place in your heritage,” the Pope noted, which “illuminates the life of each person, sustains families, and inspires a sense of fraternity.”
A country that has a love for God is truly wealthy, and this, Pope Leo pointed out, is something the Algerian people see as one of their treasures.
“Our world needs believers like this—men and women of faith who thirst for justice and unity,” he said. This is why in light of humanity searching for fraternity and reconciliation, “it is a great gift and a sacred duty for us to declare with conviction that we are always united as brothers and sisters, children of the one God.”
The Pope posed the “crucial question for everyone” that Jesus posed 2,000 years ago: “For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life?” (Mt 16:26).
Pope Leo stressed that the people being honored at the monument “have already given their answer. They lost their lives but in doing so, they gave them up for the love of their own people.”
May their example help sustain the people of Algeria and everyone on their journey, he said, because “true freedom is not merely inherited; it is chosen anew every day.” He closed by repeating the words of the Sermon on the Mount, that is, the Beatitudes:
