Pope Leo XIV ends Africa tour with call for US-Iran peace talks

Pope Leo XIV concluded an 11-day African tour Wednesday with renewed calls for the United States and Iran to resume peace talks, while condemning capital punishment and affirming the rights of migrants.

The journey represents an early, consequential chapter for Leo XIV — the first American-born pope — who used the four-nation tour to project a message of peace and human dignity on the world stage, and to publicly clash with President Donald Trump over the Iran conflict.

The 11-day journey took Leo through Algeria, Angola, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, covering more than 17,700 kilometers — roughly 11,000 miles — across 18 flights, according to The Korea Times. It was his first trip to Africa as pope.

At the final Mass in Malabo on Thursday, some 30,000 people gathered despite heavy rain. Among them was Michaela Mecha, a nurse, who described the moment in personal terms. "We feel very special and blessed that the pope has chosen our country," Mecha said. "This visit is bringing young people closer to God."

Throughout the trip, Leo engaged in what The Korea Times described as a multi-day public dispute with Trump over statements regarding the Iran war. In one homily, the pope pleaded for peace while denouncing a "handful of tyrants" he held responsible for prolonging the conflict.

Leo also used the pulpit to reaffirm the Church's opposition to capital punishment and to defend migrants, while acknowledging nations' right to control their own borders.

In Bata, Equatorial Guinea, a prison visit left a vivid impression: the moment Leo departed, inmates broke from their places into a raucous, dancing chant — "Libertad! Libertad! Libertad!" — according to The Korea Times.

During the tour, Leo marked the first anniversary of the death of Pope Francis, his predecessor. In his Malabo homily, he called for transparency into the death of Rev. Fr. Fortunato Nsue Esono Ayíambeng, a local vicar general. "May full light be shed on the circumstances of his death," Leo said.

In one unscripted moment, Leo set aside his itinerary at a psychiatric hospital to greet patients individually and pose for selfies. At a souvenir stand, the pope paused to select a necklace with a tree of life design. "It's not for me," he said. "It's for my niece."