In Algeria, the pope visited the archaeological site of the city where St. Augustine served as bishop.
ANNABA, Algeria — Pope Leo XIV traveled Tuesday from Algiers to Annaba — ancient Hippo — in what for the Augustinian pontiff amounted to a return to the roots of his faith and vocation.
After a flight of about an hour, Leo arrived in the city most closely associated with St. Augustine, who served as bishop of Hippo from 396 to 430. For the pope, a son of St. Augustine, the visit marked a homecoming of sorts.
It was in Hippo that St. Augustine died at about age 75 while the city was under siege by the Vandals. His remains were first buried in the basilica there. To protect them from desecration, Augustine’s body was later moved first to Cagliari and then, around 723, transferred to Pavia by the Lombard king Liutprand. His relics are now venerated in the Basilica of San Pietro in Ciel d’Oro, which Pope Leo is scheduled to visit on June 20.
Over the centuries after Augustine’s death, Annaba — once Hippo — was conquered first by the Byzantines and later destroyed by the Arabs in the seventh century, before being rebuilt under the name Annaba.
Among the surviving remains from the Roman era are the paved forum surrounded by columned porticoes, the theater, the market, Severan baths, cisterns, and figurative mosaics. Christian-era elements also remain, including the Basilica Pacis, where St. Augustine carried out his episcopal ministry, and its adjoining baptistery.
Upon arriving at the archaeological site, Pope Leo XIV was greeted by a local official. Despite driving rain and a shorter visit than originally planned because of the weather, the pope walked through the ruins and, at the end of the route, laid a wreath of flowers.
The choir of the Annaba Institute of Music then performed songs in Latin, Berber, and Arabic based on texts by St. Augustine dedicated to peace and fraternity. After a brief prayer, the pope departed the archaeological site.
Leo was then set to continue to the Little Sisters of the Poor’s home for the elderly, where he was to stop briefly to greet residents.
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This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
