Africa-Press – Angola. The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, and Pope Leo XIV exchanged gifts on Saturday at the Presidential Palace, in a gesture full of symbolism and diplomatic significance.
The moment marked the reaffirmation of the bonds of friendship and mutual esteem between Angola and the Holy See, within the framework of the Pope’s apostolic visit to the country.
On the occasion, the Angolan Head of State offered Pope Leo XIV a wooden sculpture, by the national artist João Domingos Mabuaca “Mayembe”, which portrays the communion between the State, Culture and Religion.
The piece reaffirms Angola as a nation that finds in the Christian faith the consolidation of its identity and in art the sublime expression of its collective soul.
In turn, the Pope offered the Head of State a Vatican medal.
Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Angola is part of an African tour that has already taken him to Algeria and Cameroon, and is expected to culminate in Equatorial Guinea.
The trip comes years after the historic visits of Pope John Paul II, who was in Angola in 1992, and Pope Benedict XVI, who visited the country in 2009, reinforcing the importance of Angola in the context of the Catholic Church on the continent.
The visit to Angola thus takes on special significance, as it continues the Vatican’s presence in the region and deepens relations with Angolan faithful.
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