Algerian Radio
The digital weekly magazine Iqra, published by the Grand Mosque of Paris, dedicated its latest issue to the official visit of Pope Leo XIV to Algeria, describing it as "historical" for what it symbolizes in terms of coexistence and interfaith dialogue.
In an article titled "Leo XIV in Algeria: What if the Other Were Already Us?", the Rector of the Great Mosque of Paris, Chems-Eddine Hafiz, who attended the visit, revisited the details of the Pope's journey, asking: "Why does a Muslim society welcome the head of the Catholic Church with such natural serenity and unpretentious warmth?"
He went on to say: "Perhaps it is because a society that has endured what Algeria has—colonialism, a war of liberation, and a decade of fratricidal violence—and emerged without losing its sense of hospitality, has realized something fundamental that more stable societies have yet to learn: that true identity is not something to be defended, but something to be lived."
Mr. Hafiz emphasized that, as the Rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris, he emerged from this "experience" with a conviction he cannot withhold: that "France needs to hear what Algeria has demonstrated. Not to imitate it, but to understand that what it struggles to build—a space where belongings coexist without conflict—is not an impossible dream." He added that "if Islam represents a pillar of cohesion there, rather than a factor of division, it is not despite its values, but because of them. The Pope expressed this in his own way, from the largest mosque in Africa (Djamaâ El-Djazaïr)."
Under the title "The Pope in Algeria as Seen by the World: Algeria at the Heart of a Moral Geography," this special issue featured numerous international press headlines, noting their consensus: "In Algeria, the Pope did not merely visit a country; he embodied a certain vision of the world—a world where peace is not proclaimed through abstract slogans, but is sought in places where history, faith, and memory are still capable of dialogue."
In the same issue, Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, Archbishop of Marseille and President of the Bishops' Conference of France, stated in an interview regarding the "Pope's first major African tour" that "beginning this African journey in Algeria carries profound significance."
The issue also features other articles supported by photographs documenting the highlight of the event, particularly reports on the Pope's travels during this visit, with headlines such as: "Annaba: Land of Saint Augustine, an Indelible Memory," "One, Two, Three... The Pope in Algeria," and "Algeria: Land of Hospitality and Spirituality."
Throughout the pages, one can also read contributions regarding the Great Mosque of Algiers, as well as portraits of Saint Augustine and the late former Archbishop of Algiers, Henri Teissier—the architect of brotherhood and interfaith dialogue.
