Pope Leo in Angola: “… manage conflicts by transforming them into paths of renewal”

In a stirring homily delivered April 19, the Third Sunday of Easter, Pope Leo XVI drew a direct parallel between the biblical road to Emmaus and the tumultuous history of Angola, urging a nation still haunted by a 27-year-long civil war to break free from the “paralysis of discouragement.”

Celebrating his first Mass in Angola in the city of Kilamba, located some 20 miles from the capital, Luanda, the Holy Father reflected on the disciples who fled Jerusalem in despair after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

He described their hearts as “murdered and sad,” a sentiment he immediately applied to the Angolan people, whom he called inhabitants of a “magnificent and murderous country” that remains thirsty for hope, peace, and fraternity.

“I see in this opening scene of the Gospel the reflection of the history of Angola,” Pope Leo told some 100,000 faithful who turned out for Sunday’s Mass.

“The conversation of the two disciples … recalls the pain that marked your country: a long civil war, with its procession of hostility and division, wasted resources and poverty,” the Supreme Pontiff said.

A long history of ethnic tensions, violence, and deaths

Angola obtained independence from Portugal on November 11, 1975, but the hard-won victory was marred by deep-seated ethnic tensions. The three predominant liberation movements, the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), the National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA), and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), have been engaging in a bitter struggle for political control.

 Although a power-sharing agreement was initially reached, the reluctance of these factions to cooperate within a multi-ethnic society and the sudden departure of Portuguese forces caused the accord to collapse.

Abandoning their shared anti-colonial goal, the groups turned on one another, with UNITA formally declaring war on the MPLA on August 1, 1975.

The war that lasted until 2002 left an estimated 500,000 people dead and displaced millions more. While the guns have fallen silent, the legacy of the conflict remains palpable in the country’s infrastructure and the collective psyche of its citizens.

Pope Leo warned that after being immersed for so long in such a history of pain, there is a risk of remaining “frozen” on the events that occurred… closed to hope.”

He noted that, like the disciples of Emmaus, many Angolans still speak of their suffering “with the pain of those who do not know how to start again, or even if it is possible.”

However, the Pope centered his message on the “good news” that the resurrected Jesus walks alongside the people on this path of bitterness. He urged the congregation to recognize the Lord’s presence not just in prayer and the Scriptures, but in acts of solidarity.

“The history of your country, the still difficult consequences you endure, the social and economic problems, demand the presence of a Church that knows how to accompany you,” he said.

Pope Leo XVI challenged the country’s leadership and social structures, calling for the construction of a society where “the scourge of corruption will be healed by a new culture of justice and sharing.”

Emphasizing that the Eucharist signifies unity, the Supreme Pontiff noted that it must translate into a political reality where “old divisions will be permanently overcome” and “hatred and violence will disappear.”

Saying “No!” to the logic of “extractivism   

On Saturday, Pope Leo XVI met with the country’s President Joao Lourenco, as well as political, civic, and diplomatic authorities, during which he delivered his first speech to Angola’s political authorities.

He condemned the pillaging of the country’s natural resources by Western capitalist groups and greedy politicians.

“I desire to meet you in the spirit born of peace and to affirm that your people possess treasures that cannot be bought or stolen,” Leo said.

“There dwells within you a joy that not even the most adverse circumstances have been able to extinguish.”

Angola is Africa’s fourth-largest oil producer and is among the world’s top 20 producers. It is also the world’s third-largest diamond producer and holds significant deposits of critical minerals.

But the vast mineral resources contrast sharply with the excruciating poverty of the people. According to the World Bank, about 30 percent of Angola’s estimated 39 million people live on less than $2.15 a day.

The Pontiff condemned the continued plundering of the nation’s resources, both by foreign interests and corrupt leaders.

“It is necessary to break this cycle of interests, which reduces reality, and even life itself, to mere commodities,” the Pontiff said.

“How much suffering, how many deaths, how many social and environmental disasters are brought about by this logic of extractivism! At every level, we see how it sustains a model of development that discriminates and excludes, while still presuming to impose itself as the only viable option.”

The late former President of the Southern African country, Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who ruled for 38 years (1979-2017), was accused of plundering billions of dollars from the state coffers to his family account.

After taking office, President Lourenco’s administration reported that at least $24 billion had been stolen or misappropriated under the dos Santos regime.

Consequently, his government has vowed to crack down on corruption and actively work to recover the embezzled funds.

Despite these efforts, critics maintain that Angola still faces deep-seated corruption and have questioned whether Lourenco’s actions are truly about accountability or rather a political strategy to target rivals and consolidate his power.

Citing Pope Paul VI, the Holy Father warned that societies must resist the illusion of a civilization fueled only by consumption. He praised Angola’s ancient wisdom for recognizing creation as a harmony of diversity but noted that this balance is often broken by exploitation and arrogance.

 “Your people have suffered time and again when this harmony was violated,” he stated.

“Dialogue is the first step…”

The Pope urged dialogue, saying it remains the only viable path toward overcoming the country’s social and political tensions.

“Only in an encounter does life flourish. Dialogue is the first step,” Pope Leo XIV said. He said conflict can either destroy societies or become an opportunity for renewal—if they are addressed constructively.

He warned the country’s leaders against the temptation to suppress dissent and urged them to learn “how to manage conflicts by transforming them into paths of renewal.”

He also urged Angolans to harness their rich and diverse human and cultural resources towards the common good, and by doing so to turn the country into “a project of hope.”

Pope Leo underscored the readiness of the Catholic Church to help in Angola’s course for development, saying that the Catholic Church “… desires to be leaven in the dough and to foster the growth of a just model of coexistence.”

This, he said, requires removing the obstacles to development and also involving those people that society has discarded.

“Let us remove the obstacles to integral human development, working and hoping together alongside those whom the world has discarded but whom God has chosen,” he said.

Before journeying to Angola, Pope Leo XVI had also visited Algeria and Cameroon, and will end his ten-day visit to Africa in Equatorial Guinea.