Africa-Press – Angola. Pope Leo XIV arrived at 4:24 PM in the village of Muxima, Quiçama municipality, Icolo e Bengo province, where he will pray the rosary with pilgrims.
Upon his arrival, the Supreme Pontiff was received with great ovation and waves from thousands of believers who anxiously awaited his presence to pray the Holy Rosary together.
This Sunday, Pope Leo XIV celebrated an open-air mass in the Kilamba Centrality, Luanda province, attended by hundreds of faithful.
Many devotees consider Muxima to be the most important pilgrimage site in Angola, attracting more than one million faithful annually between August 31 and September 7 each year.
Pilgrimages and Marian worship at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Muxima in Angola have deep roots, with the first organized celebrations dating back to 1833.
Popular devotion has intensified over the centuries, becoming one of the greatest expressions of faith in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Given its historical and cultural relevance, the government, together with the Catholic Church, decided to redevelop the space, which will include a modern sanctuary, a basilica with seating for 4,600 worshippers, and a plaza for 200,000 pilgrims.
Currently, the construction of an urban development with approximately 700 residences is complete in the locality of Coxi, 6 kilometers from the Sanctuary of Muxima, along with a Health Center. Other social infrastructure projects, such as schools, a campsite, and a police station, are underway.
The objective is to transform the village of Muxima into a leading religious tourism center, improving conditions for the annual pilgrimages.
The requalification works of the village of Muxima and the construction of the new Basilica formally began with the laying of the first stone on July 19, 2022.
Since then, the project has been visited by the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, thus registering significant progress in the works.
Spiritual Relevance
The village of Muxima is the largest center of Catholic pilgrimage in Angola, centralizing popular faith in “Mamã Muxima” (Our Lady of the Conception of Muxima). It is a spiritual symbol of healing, hope and resistance, attracting thousands of faithful who seek prayer, miracles and spiritual renewal, especially during the annual pilgrimage.
Several devotees claim to have had their requests for employment, romantic relationships, health, procreation, peace, family unity, spiritual strengthening, among others, fulfilled after prayers addressed to Mamã Muxima, in this Sanctuary.
This is the first visit of a Pope to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Conception (Mamã Muxima), located in the village of Muxima, municipality of Quiçama, province of Icolo e Bengo.
The visit of Pope Leo XIV 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 occurs 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, continuing the Vatican’s presence in the region and deepening relations with Angolan faithful.
For More News And Analysis About Angola Follow Africa-Press
