Papal visit to Algeria signals a new chapter in memory, faith, and soft power

The pope did not intervene in such a sensitive matter, which could have seriously disrupted the visit for the Algerian authorities. Instead, he appeared mindful of the heavy burden the Catholic Church carries due to its past association with French colonial history in Algeria. Leo XIV even paid tribute to Algeria’s war of liberation martyrs and chose to address Algerians in English rather than French—a gesture received with relief in Algeria.