Two suicide terrorists blew themselves up on Monday in Bilda (Algeria), in a suicide attack that left several injured, hours after the arrival of Pope Leon XIV in the Maghreb country, where he has begun a 10-day tour that will take him through several African countries. The attempted attack targeted a police station in the city. The two suicide terrorists detonated explosive belts far from reaching their target, upon seeing a police officer approaching, as reported by the French newspaper Le Monde.
Approximately 40 kilometers from the scene of the attack, under the vault of the Basilica of Notre-Dame de l'Afrique, in the heights of Algiers, Leon XIV, was concluding the first day of his trip to Algeria. The incident disrupted the Pope's call for reconciliation and appeasement.
The Pope will visit the Algerian city of Annaba on Tuesday, where he will walk in the footsteps of the influential Christian theologian St. Augustine, on the second day of his visit to the North African country, as reported by Afp.
Prevost is the first Pope to visit Algeria, the first stop on his tour of four African countries, although the first day was dominated by harsh criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump.
In Annaba, the ancient Roman city of Hippo, Leon will visit the remnants of the city's historical past, as well as a center for poor elderly people run by Catholic nuns.
The city was home to Augustine, whose autobiographical book Confessions is a fundamental work in the Christian tradition.
In the afternoon, Leon will celebrate mass at the Basilica of St. Augustine in the presence of clergy from across Africa.