The pontiff urged the country to overcome old divisions, reject corruption, and help young people recover hope.

KILAMBA, Angola — Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Mass in Angola on Sunday in Kilamba, a fast-growing city about 20 miles from the capital, Luanda, telling the faithful that Angola must “look to the future with hope” and “build the hope of the future.”

Kilamba, inaugurated in 2011, has grown into a city of about 130,000 inhabitants, according to the most recent Angolan government census. Built with financing tied to a Chinese public investment company, the city’s layout and architecture evoke the urban planning of Chinese population centers more than that of a typical African city.

Yet the atmosphere at the papal Mass was unmistakably African.

About 100,000 faithful packed the large esplanade where the Eucharistic celebration took place. Many wore traditional Angolan dress. Scouts were present in large numbers, along with members of the military, doctors, nurses, priests, and missionaries — lay and religious — who have worked in Angola for years and did not want to miss the occasion.

“This visit is an occasion of celebration and hope, for us and for this beautiful land that is Angola,” a Polish missionary from the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary told EWTN News.

At around 10:15 a.m. local time, Pope Leo began the Mass. The entrance procession was accompanied by a hymn marked by both faith and enthusiasm, hallmarks of the African crowds that have greeted the pontiff throughout this trip.

“I celebrate the Eucharist here among you with a grateful heart. Thanks be to God for this gift, and thank you for your warm welcome!” the pope said at the start of his homily.

Reflecting on the Gospel account of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, Leo said he saw in that scene “a reflection of the history of Angola, of this beautiful yet wounded country, which hungers and thirsts for hope, peace and fraternity.”

He continued: “Indeed, the conversation along the road between the two disciples, who reflected with sorrow on what had happened to their Master, brings to mind the pain that has marked your country: a long civil war with its aftermath of enmities and divisions, of squandered resources and poverty.”

“When one is long immersed in a history so characterized by pain, one can risk losing hope and remaining paralyzed by discouragement, just like the two disciples,” he said.

The pope then pointed to what he called the central Christian answer to such suffering: “Dear friends, the Good News of the Lord, even for us today, is precisely this: he is alive, he has risen, and he walks beside us as we journey along the path of suffering and bitterness, opening our eyes so that we may recognize his work and granting us the grace to start afresh and rebuild the future.”

Recalling how Christ accompanied the two disciples in their disappointment, Leo said the same path is now set before Angola.

“Here, too, is the path laid out for us, for you, dear Angolan brothers and sisters, to begin anew. On the one hand, there is the certainty that the Lord accompanies us and has compassion on us, and on the other, the commitment that he asks from us,” he said.

The pope stressed prayer, Scripture, and especially the Eucharist as the place where believers encounter God and renew hope. He also warned against distortions of faith.

“For this reason, we must always be vigilant regarding those forms of traditional religiosity that certainly belong to the roots of your culture, but at the same time risk confusing and mixing magical and superstitious elements that do not aid your spiritual journey,” he said.

“Remain faithful to what the Church teaches, trust your pastors, and keep your gaze fixed on Jesus, who reveals himself in the word and in the Eucharist,” he added.

Leo then turned to the mission of the Church in Angola, saying the country’s continuing hardships require “the presence of a Church that knows how to walk alongside you and how to heed the cry of its children.”

“A Church that, with the light of the word and the nourishment of the Eucharist, knows how to rekindle lost hope,” he said. “A Church made up of people like you who give of themselves just as Jesus gave of himself in the breaking of the bread for the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.”

“Angola needs bishops, priests, missionaries, men and women religious, and lay people who carry in their hearts the desire to ‘break’ their own lives and give them to others, to commit themselves to mutual love and forgiveness, to build spaces of fraternity and peace, and to perform acts of compassion and solidarity towards those most in need,” the pope said.

In the final part of the homily, Leo appealed for national renewal, saying that “it is possible to build together a country where old divisions are overcome once and for all, where hatred and violence disappear, and where the scourge of corruption is healed by a new culture of justice and sharing.”

“Only in this way will a promising future be possible, especially for the many young people who have lost hope,” he said.

He concluded with a direct appeal: “Brothers and sisters, today we need to look to the future with hope and to build the hope of the future. Do not be afraid to do so!”

The pope assured those present of his closeness and prayers and entrusted the people of Angola to the protection of the Virgin Mary, under the title of Our Lady of Muxima.

Before leading the Regina Coeli after the Mass, Pope Leo turned to several international crises. He lamented the “recent intensification of attacks against Ukraine,” noting that civilians continue to suffer, and said: “I express my closeness to all who suffer and assure my prayers for all the Ukrainian people. I renew my appeal for the weapons to fall silent and for the path of dialogue to be followed.”

The pope also referred to the announced truce in Lebanon, saying it “is a cause for hope” and “a sign of relief for the Lebanese people.”

He added: “I encourage those engaged in a diplomatic solution to continue peace talks for the end of hostilities throughout the Middle East.”

Even after the celebration ended, the enthusiasm of the faithful did not fade. The crowd seemed reluctant to let the pope go, continuing with songs, dancing, and jubilant cries as the color and joy of the occasion carried on across the vast gathering space.

This story was first published in two parts by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.