On April 14, Pope Leo visited ancient Hippo during the second day of his Apostolic Journey to Algeria.

Today the city of Annaba, ancient Hippo, is a city of significant historical importance. During the Punic Wars of the 2nd century BC, the city came under Roman control and became part of the province of Africa Proconsularis. It developed into a port city and administrative centre of the Roman Empire.

Once Christianity was legalised by the Edict of Milan in 313, churches were built in the city. After his conversion in 386, Augustine was ordained a priest in the city in 391 and in 393 took part in the Council of Hippo as a young priest. In 395 he became the city’s bishop.

Augustine served as bishop until 430, when he died at the age of 75, as the city was under siege by the Vandals. During his time, he wrote his magnum opus, The City of God, as well as the more personal Confessions. He also wrote the oldest monastic rule in the Western Church, the Rule of Saint Augustine, which governs the religious life of Dominicans, Servites, Mercedarians, Norbertines and Augustinians, the order to which Pope Leo belongs.

Pope Leo was welcomed at the archaeological site by a representative. The Pope walked through the city’s ruins before laying a wreath of flowers. Afterwards, the choir of the Annaba Institute of Music sang a hymn and the Pope paused for a moment of prayer.

The pontiff then travelled by car to the Home for the Elderly run by the Little Sisters of the Poor, where he told residents: “I am pleased to make this visit because God dwells here. Indeed, wherever there is love and service, God is there.”

After the visit, he walked to the Augustinian community that cares for the Basilica of St Augustine to join them for lunch. In the afternoon he celebrated Holy Mass for the small Algerian Catholic community at the basilica, telling the faithful: “Today we listen to the Gospel, the Good News for all time, in this basilica in Annaba dedicated to St Augustine, who was bishop here.”

The visit to the ancient city of Hippo represents the most personal element of his trip to Africa. As early as December last year, the Pope went on the record saying that he would like to pay homage to the spiritual father of his order, St Augustine. Speaking aboard the papal plane returning to the Vatican after visiting Lebanon and Turkey, he said: “I hope to travel to Algeria to visit the places associated with the life of Saint Augustine, and also to continue the discourse of dialogue and bridge-building between the Christian and Muslim worlds.”