Pope Leo XIV kicks off his trip to Africa in the country of Algeria, which is home to a small but lively Catholic population.

Aboard the papal flight to Algeria, Leo said he is not a politician and will continue to preach the Gospel’s call for peace and multilateral dialogue.

The 10-day Africa trip will take the pope to Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea.

Trump’s social media broadside and comments to reporters came as the pope prepared to depart for an 11-day trip to Africa.

Follow here for live updates of Pope Leo XIV’s journey to Africa from April 13–23.

"It is through the Eucharist that even our hands become ‘hands of the Risen One,'" the pope said.

His appointment comes following the resignation of Cardinal Raphael Sako, who submitted his resignation to Pope Leo XIV on March 9 amid a legal and financial scandal surrounding a former bishop.

The high-level face-to-face talks in Pakistan followed weeks of military confrontation that began in late February and produced a tenuous two-week ceasefire, which ends April 22.

WASHINGTON – Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a brief response to a social media post by President Trump on Sunday evening. 

“I am disheartened that the President chose to write such disparaging words about the Holy Father. Pope Leo is not his rival; nor is the Pope a politician. He is the Vicar of Christ who speaks from the truth of the Gospel and for the care of souls.”

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The bishop of Palm Beach said the crisis in the neighboring island nation “has reached truly inhumane proportions … and our solidarity and response are urgently needed.”