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Pope Leo XIV to visit fastest-growing Catholic continent during 4-nation Africa trip
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Pope Leo XIV starts a four-nation visit to Africa Monday, visiting the fastest-growing continent for the Catholic Church as he embarks on his fourth foreign trip since becoming pontiff in 2025.
While the trip does not include the continent’s most populous nation of Nigeria — where thousands of the faithful have been killed for their religious beliefs — it begins in the Muslim-majority country of Algeria.
The Vatican has called the trip «A pilgrim in Africa.» The main themes Leo is expected to address include peace, migration, the environment, young people and the family, according to the Holy See. He will make 25 speeches in four of Africa’s main languages — French, English, Portuguese and Spanish.
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Pope Leo XIV to visit Algeria on April 13, 2026. (Fateh Guidoum/AP Photo)
Analysts and clerics are keen to stress the overall importance of this visit to the continent. «I believe the Holy Father is walking with the African church in the context of the global church,» Rev. Daniel Male, secretary of the Union of Augustinian Friars of Africa, told the Religion News Service. He added, «he is affirming the African churches’ growth and vibrancy and is also making a statement that the church has a preferential option for the poor and those at the margins.»
The Catholic OSV News added the visit «highlights peace efforts, the works of mercy, and the Catholic Church’s vibrant presence on the continent.»
The National Catholic Register stated that in 1910 Africa was home to less than 1 million Catholics. The latest figures available for 2024 estimate there are now 288 million.
Thousands of Catholics greeted Pope Francis when he visited Kinshasa, Congo, in Feb, 2023. (Jerome Delay/AP Photo)
Commenting on his absence from Nigeria, Frans Cronje, African-based analyst at the Yorktown Foundation for Freedom, told Fox News Digital «Given Nigeria’s role as the epicenter of the terror threat faced by Africa’s Christians, it will be disappointing to many of them to learn that the pope has left that country off his Africa agenda. The country has become ground zero for the global Islamist terror threat.»
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Pope Leo XIV delivers the Urbi et Orbi blessing — Latin for «to the city of Rome and to the world» — from the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica at the end of Easter Mass he presided over in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) (Alessandra Tarantino/AP)
The pontiff must be invited to a country by the host government. Analysts say that the government of Nigeria may feel a papal visit may be too sensitive at this time. But the Nigerian government did not respond to requests for comment on this issue by Fox News Digital.
Details of the trip include:
Algeria: April 13 to April 15
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The Vatican’s yearbook for 2025, the Annuario Pontificio, states Catholics number 8,740 out of a population of 46–48 million. The pope is believed to be coming to Algeria to visit the ancient city of Hippo, now called Annaba. The city was home to St. Augustine, the ‘doctor of the church.’ Pope Leo is the first pontiff to belong to the Augustinian Order.
He is also expected to emphasize interfaith dialogue with Islam when he visits the Great Mosque of Algiers. This is one of the biggest in the world, capable of accommodating up to 120,000 people.
Algeria prepares for visit of Pope Leo XIV (Fateh Guidoum/AP Photo)
The 2026 Open Doors World Watch List placed Algeria in the 20th position for Christian persecution. It said 47 churches of the Protestant Church of Algeria (EPA) have been closed by the authorities.
The Associated Press reported that Algerian authorities rejected a Vatican request for Leo to visit to Médéa to pray at the Tibhirine monastery, the place where seven French Trappist monks were kidnapped and killed May 21, 1996, by Islamic extremists during the country’s civil war.
Cameroon: April 15 to April 18
The Catholic EWTN organization reports that Catholics make up between 30% and 35% of the population of some 30 million.
The pope will preside over five public Masses and addresses in three cities. He will also meet with vulnerable children at the Ngul Zamba Orphanage in the capital city of Yaoundé.
A local sits beneath hanging Catholic devotional scarves and banners, including images of Our Lady of Fatima, Jesus Christ and Pope Leo XIV, outside Our Lady of Fatima Parish, a church identified by Catholic officials as one of the sites expected to be visited by Pope Leo XIV during a planned trip to the country, in Luanda, Angola, April 12, 2026 (Cesar Muginga/ Reuters)
Angola: April 18 to April 21
In the latest government census, some 56% of Angola’s population identified as being Catholic.
The most significant part of the pope’s visit to Angola is expected to be when he goes to the town of Muxima, where he will pray at a shrine to the Virgin Mary, known locally as «Mama Muxima», or «mother of the heart.» This is said to be the spiritual home for many Angolans, drawing over two million pilgrims to visit it every year.
Pope Leo XIV will visit Angola in April 2026. (Marco Longari/AFP via Getty Images)
Equatorial Guinea: April 21 to April 23
The Vatican has stated that approximately 80% of the population of Equatorial Guinea are Catholic. Leo will hold several Masses and addresses, and will visit a new psychiatric hospital and a prison. The Jean Pierre Olie Psychiatric Hospital in Sampaka, Malabo, was only inaugurated in December and is the country’s first modern specialized mental health facility. It collaborates with France’s Hospital Saint-Anne in Paris.
In a potentially controversial move, the pope will also visit a prison in Bata notorious for reports of inmate torture and abuse.
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The Vatican did not respond to Fox News Digital questions by press time.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
pope leo xiv, religion, africa, islam, algeria
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Former Attorney General Pam Bondi hails Trump admin’s ‘justice and transparency’ on Epstein files
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Former Attorney General Pam Bondi, who spoke before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Friday, stood behind the Trump administration’s work releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files, according to a copy of her prepared opening remarks obtained by Fox News Digital.
«Before we start today, I want to reiterate what I have said many times regarding the Department’s handling during my tenure as Attorney General of the voluminous materials that are now commonly known as the Epstein Files,» she told the committee, according to the document.
«I am proud of the Department’s record and commitment to transparency under my leadership. We demonstrated an unprecedented commitment to transparency in the Department’s search for, collection, and review of the Epstein files, producing nearly 3 million pages of material, including thousands of videos and hundreds of thousands of images,» Bondi asserted.
Bondi has since departed from the Capitol following her voluntary transcribed interview with the House Oversight Committee, Fox News has learned. Friday’s interview was transcribed, though not video recorded.
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Former U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi arrives to testify at a closed-door interview with the House Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill on May 29, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
«These investigations span FOUR administrations, dating back to the Bush administration and have gone on through the Obama administration, the first Trump administration, and the Biden administration. The only time federal prosecutors were permitted to launch investigations against Epstein and Maxwell was when President Trump occupied the White House. Only under President Trump were 3 million Epstein related documents released,» Bondi said, according to her prepared remarks.
The former attorney general further described «an enormously complicated and labor-intensive process.»
«To the best of my knowledge, the Department produced everything required under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Our diligent and good faith effort to collect materials ensured that all potentially responsive documents that could be reasonably located would see the light of day,» she noted, according to the copy of her remarks.
«All Department components were directed to submit any potentially responsive records, resulting in a comprehensive review of millions of documents. As the head of a large Department with broad responsibilities, I did not lead every aspect of this effort or conduct that document review myself. I delegated oversight over this process to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche,» Bondi continue.
Blanche was appointed acting attorney general on April 2 after President Donald Trump announced Bondi’s departure. He is not considered Bondi’s permanent replacement as head of the DOJ.
President Donald Trump interacts with then-U.S. General Attorney Pam Bondi as he took to the stage to participate in a roundtable discussion regarding the Memphis Safe Task Force (MSTF) in combating violent crime at the Memphis International Airport on March 23, 2026 in Memphis, Tenn. (Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)
Bondi told the committee on Friday that «the team of professionals who reviewed all of the materials that we collected assured me the only materials that were withheld were either non-responsive, privileged, or duplicative.»
«Although not required by the Act, the Department has given Congress access to unredacted, duplicative materials in the Reading Room in an effort at maximum transparency,» Bondi said.
«There were redaction errors,» she continued. «But since day one of this process, this Department has been committed to accountability and transparency. Our stance has always been that the Department stands ready to review any potential evidence of criminal activity related to Epstein and his associates and would pursue appropriate investigative or prosecutorial action wherever the facts and law warrant.»
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«I would like to repeat what I shared before the House Judiciary Committee in February: I have spent my entire career fighting for victims and I will continue to do so. I am deeply sorry for what any victim has been through, especially as a result of that monster. If they have any information to share with law enforcement about anyone who has hurt them or abused them, the FBI is waiting to hear from them,» Bondi’s opening statement said.
Then-U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Feb. 11, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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«The bottom line is: justice and transparency in this matter have been delivered at the direction of President Trump and his administration,» she asserted.
Bondi was diagnosed with thyroid cancer shortly after departing the Department of Justice last month, according to reports this week. Katie Miller, a former White House staffer and podcast host who is married to White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller, reposted an Axios report on X on Tuesday.
«Pam has been quietly kicking cancer’s ass the last few weeks,» she wrote.
politics, pam bondi, jeffrey epstein, justice department, donald trump
INTERNACIONAL
Mundial de Fútbol 2026: 42 expertos en infectología advierten que la vacunación es la mejor defensa para los hinchas viajeros
El Mundial de Fútbol 2026 arranca el 11 de junio y, por primera vez en la historia, tres países organizan juntos el torneo: Canadá, Estados Unidos y México. Son 48 selecciones, 16 ciudades sede y millones de personas de todo el mundo que se van a mezclar en estadios, aeropuertos y zonas de fanáticos durante más de un mes.
Cuando tantas personas se juntan en un mismo lugar, los riesgos de transmisión de enfermedades infecciosas también suben.
En el último artículo editorial de la revista especializada Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease, 42 expertos en infectología y medicina del viajero de Perú, Colombia, Argentina, México y Brasil, entre otros países, advirtieron sobre los principales riesgos sanitarios del torneo y pusieron en el tope de la lista una enfermedad que muchos creían superada: el sarampión.
En diálogo con Infobae, el médico Alfonso Rodríguez-Morales, vicepresidente de la Alianza Latinoamericana de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología Clínica (ALEIMC) y coautor del artículo, afirmó que “si bien los riesgos de transmisión de infecciones existen, queremos promover que las personas tomen medidas de prevención antes del viaje. También alentamos que se fortalezca la vigilancia activa entre las fronteras”.
El sarampión es una enfermedad viral que se transmite por el aire y provoca fiebre alta, sarpullido y, en casos graves, complicaciones neurológicas o pulmonares.
América la había eliminado, pero en noviembre de 2025 la Organización Panamericana de la Salud (OPS) confirmó que la región perdió ese logro: el virus volvió a circular de forma sostenida y sin interrupciones. El detonante no fue uno solo.
Durante la pandemia de COVID-19, millones de niños no accedieron a las vacunas por diferentes razones y nunca las recuperaron. A eso se sumó el crecimiento de la desconfianza hacia las vacunas en varios países, lo que dejó a poblaciones enteras en riesgo de exposición al virus.
El resultado es visible en los números: en 2026, los tres países sede del Mundial ya acumulan más de 20.000 casos de sarampión, y 15 de las 16 ciudades donde se juegan partidos tienen brotes activos.
No es casualidad que los expertos lo pongan en el tope de la lista de riesgos. “El sarampión tiene un índice de reproducción alto y por eso la inmunización de la población es clave. Esto significa que cada persona enferma puede contagiar a más de 3 personas si no hay inmunidad previa en la población”, explicó a Infobae el médico infectólogo Cristian Biscayart, coautor y miembro de la Sociedad Argentina de Infectología (SADI).
Por su parte, Carlos Espinal, investigador del Colegio Robert Stempel de Salud Pública y Trabajo Social de la Universidad Internacional de Florida, en Miami, Estados Unidos, señaló a Infobae: «Debemos preocuparnos por el sarampión debido a la epidemia y al número alto de casos en los tres países sedes del Mundial de Fútbol, además de los brotes en Europa y en el resto de países de América Latina».
“Adicionalmente, tenemos un resurgimiento de la tos ferina en el continente y debemos también tener estrategias para identificar rápidamente ante posibles casos de ébola provenientes de África. El 17 de mayo de 2026, la Organización Mundial de la Salud declaró a la epidemia de ébola una emergencia de salud pública de importancia internacional”, afirmó Espinal, quien también fue coautor.
El sarampión no es el único riesgo. Las infecciones respiratorias, como gripe y COVID-19, también se transmiten con facilidad en espacios cerrados y llenos de personas.
La Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) ya advirtió sobre una variante del virus de la gripe o influenza A H3N2 que tuvo transmisión sostenida en Norteamérica durante la temporada 2025-2026.
Otra amenaza frecuente y menos mencionada es la diarrea del viajero. Bacterias como la Salmonella o la Escherichia coli pueden ingresar al organismo por el consumo de agua o comida contaminada, y el riesgo sube cuando los servicios de alimentación atienden a miles de personas al mismo tiempo.
Lavarse las manos con frecuencia, tomar agua embotellada y evitar alimentos crudos o mal cocidos son las medidas más simples y más efectivas.
En México se agrega otro factor: la presencia de mosquitos, según los expertos. El dengue, el Zika y el chikungunya, que son enfermedades que provocan fiebre, dolores articulares intensos y, en algunos casos, complicaciones graves, siguen en expansión en América.
El repelente adecuado según la edad, la ropa que cubre el cuerpo y los alojamientos con mosquiteros o aire acondicionado son la mejor barrera, de acuerdo con los expertos.
Tras hacer un análisis de la situación de riesgos, los expertos afirmaron en el artículo editorial: “Fortalecer la cobertura de vacunación, mejorar la vigilancia, promover la educación preventiva y fomentar la colaboración internacional serán fundamentales para minimizar el riesgo de enfermedades infecciosas durante este evento deportivo sin precedentes”.
Se debería consultar al médico entre 4 y 8 semanas antes del viaje para revisar el esquema de vacunación, no el día antes de tomar el avión.
Las vacunas prioritarias son la triple viral (que da protección contra sarampión, paperas y rubéola), la de la gripe, la del COVID-19, y las de hepatitis A y B.
“Todos las personas que viajen deben constatar que tienen dos dosis de vacuna doble o triple viral”, enfatizó en diálogo con Infobae la médica Susana Lloveras, coautora y ex-presidente de la Sociedad Latinoamericana de Medicina del Viajero (SLAMVI).
Varias de estas enfermedades tienen períodos de incubación (el tiempo que pasa entre el momento del contagio y la aparición de los síntomas) más largos que un vuelo de regreso a casa. Por eso, una persona podría contagiarse un patógeno en el estadio, cruzar la frontera sin ningún síntoma y enfermarse recién días después, ya en su país.
fútbol,Mundial,Copa Mundial,FIFA,trofeo,celebración,victoria,deporte,oro
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