Just as in Lebanon, the reception Leo was afforded throughout his four-nation tour of Africa was immense, and there is no doubt that a new stage in the pontificate has begun in the past two weeks.
There is such regular referencing of the fact that Leo is a ‘young’ Pope that one can easily overlook the fact that, at 70 years of age, it is no mean feat to complete the journey he has just undertaken. Leaving Rome on April 13 and returning on the evening of St George’s Day, the papal caravan visited Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea. At each location, the bubbling enthusiasm for the successor of St Peter was undeniable.
