Pope Leo XIV has followed in the footsteps of his spiritual father as part of his trip to Algeria, visiting the basilica near the site where St Augustine died nearly 1600 years ago.
While at the Basilica of Saint Augustine, the Holy Father, who has previously called himself a "son of Augustine" addressed the hundreds of people who gathered with him.
"Here the martyrs prayed; here St Augustine loved his flock, fervently seeking the truth and serving Christ with ardent faith," the Pope said in his homily, delivered in French.
"Be heirs to this tradition, bearing witness through fraternal charity to the freedom of those born from above as a hope of salvation for the world."
The Basilica of Saint Augustine was constructed in 1881 in Annaba, Algeria. The city used to be known as Hippo and was where St Augustine was bishop from 396 until 430.
Pope Leo XIV has lived a life very close to the saint. He received secondary and tertiary education from the Augustinians before entering the order himself when he was just 21. He has spent almost 50 years of his life as a member of the Order of Saint Augustine, fostering a deep love of Saint Augustine and his spirituality.
He urged the people gathered to follow the example of the great saint, known for his conversion from a life of sin, to becoming one of the greatest saints to have lived.
“Can we truly start our lives over again?” Pope Leo asked the congregation. “Yes! The Lord’s response, so full of love, fills our hearts with hope. No matter how weighed down we are by pain or sin: The crucified One carries all these burdens with us and for us.”
The Mass marked the second day of the Pope’s 11-day pilgrimage through four African nations – Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea – and the culminating moment of the first papal visit to the North African country.