In a private visit to a community run by Missionary Augustinian Sisters in Algiers, Pope Leo XIV highlights the enduring witness of martyrdom and encourages a renewed commitment to peace, dignity, and respect for differences.
Vatican News
Following his visit to the Mosque of Algiers on Monday afternoon, Pope Leo XIV paid a private visit to the Centre for Welcome and Friendship of the Missionary Augustinian Sisters to render homage to the memory of religious sisters who were killed during the Algerian civil war and to thank the Sisters for their charitable work.
The Pope was welcomed by the community that is located in the district of Bab El Oued, some 16 kilometres from the city of Algiers.
During his visit, he paused in prayer with the sisters and met those who continue to carry forward their mission of hospitality, education, and friendship in a context marked by memory and reconciliation.
Pope Leo’s visit was especially dedicated to the remembrance of two religious sisters of the community who were among the 19 martyrs of Algeria killed between 1994 and 1996 during the civil war.
Sr. Esther Paniagua Alonso and Sr. Caridad Álvarez Martín were assassinated on 23 October 1994 during the “Black Decade,” as the Algerian Civil War is known, as they were on their way to Mass.
Witness to the point of martyrdom
According to a statement by the Holy See Press Office, the Pope reflected on their testimony within the wider witness of the Algerian martyrs, explaining that their lives express a dimension deeply inscribed in Augustinian spirituality: that of witness, even to the point of martyrdom.
“Your presence here means a great deal,” he said, recalling a previous visit, and he spoke of the gift that St. Augustine represents in this part of the world, which promotes “respect for the dignity of each person,” noting that “it is possible to live in peace, valuing differences.”
Until the early 1990s, this was the community where the Missionary Augustinian Sisters lived, and from which the two martyred sisters departed for their daily mission. Their memory, the Pope recalled, remains a living presence that continues to illuminate the meaning of Christian witness.
At the conclusion of the encounter, Pope Leo XIV thanked the sisters for their service and encouraged them to persevere in their mission. He also recalled that the commemoration of the 19 martyrs of Algeria is celebrated on 8 May, the same day as his election, linking their memory to a shared spiritual horizon of witness and hope.
The Welcome and Friendship Centre
The structure is currently run by two of the three religious sisters who live in a house at Notre-Dame d’Afrique in Algiers. It serves as a place of encounter open to the local population, offering daily activities carried out with the support of professional teachers of various nationalities.
These activities include after-school support for children and French and Spanish language courses for young people and adults, as well as workshops for women, who learn sewing, crochet, painting, and jewelry-making.
SOURCE: VATICAN NEWS
