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The following is the address delivered by the Pope to those present during the meeting:

 

Address of the Holy Father

Your Eminence, Your Excellencies, Minister, Representatives of Italian sport, dear athletes,

I welcome you with joy, shortly after the conclusion of the Milan-Cortina Winter Games, which, alongside top-level competitions, have also spread a noble human, cultural and spiritual message throughout the world.

I wish to express my gratitude to the Dicastery for Culture and Education which, with Athletica Vaticana , has organized this meeting. I thank the president Luciano Buonfiglio of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) and the president Marco Giunio De Sanctis of the Italian Paralympic Committee (CIP).

I wish to involve all of you in this gratitude: thank you for what you have shown. Truly, sport, when lived authentically, is not merely a performance: it is a form of language, a narrative made up of gestures, of effort, of anticipation, of falls and of new beginnings. During the Games we saw not only bodies in motion, but stories: stories of sacrifice, of discipline, of tenacity. In particular, in Paralympic competitions we have seen how a limitation can become a source of revelation: not something that holds a person back, but something that can be transformed, even transfigured into newfound qualities. You athletes have become life stories that inspire a great number of people.

Secondly, your team spirit reminds us that no one wins alone, because behind every victory there are many people involved – from family to teams – as well as many days of training, pressure and solitude. It is often precisely in these moments that God reveals himself, as the psalmist sings: “Thou didst give a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip” ( Ps 18:36).

Indeed, sport contributes to the maturing of our character, requires a steadfast spirituality and is a fruitful form of education. Through sport, we learn to know our own bodies without idolizing them, to control our emotions, to compete without losing our sense of fraternity, to accept defeat without despair and victory without arrogance.

By training the mind, along with the limbs, sport is authentic when it remains humane, that is, when it remains faithful to its first vocation: to be a school of life and talent. A school in which one learns that true success is measured by the quality of relationships: not by the amount of prizes, but by mutual respect, by shared joy in the game.

This is the “life in abundance” (cf. Jn 10:10) of which the Gospel speaks: a life filled with meaning, a life in which physicality and inner life find harmony. This is the reason for the choice of this Gospel expression as the title of the Letter I wrote on the occasion of the Olympics and Paralympics (cf. Life in abundance , 6 February 2026).

At the present time, so marked by polarization, rivalry and conflicts that escalate into devastating wars, your commitment takes on an even greater value: sport can and must truly become a space for encounter! Not a show of strength, but an exercise in relationship. I wanted to recall, on the occasion of these Games, the value of the Olympic truce. With your presence, you have made visible this possibility of peace as a prophecy that is by no means rhetorical: breaking the logic of violence to promote that of encounter.

At the same time, we are well aware that sport also brings with it certain temptations: that of performance at any cost, which can lead to doping; that of profit, which transforms the game into a market and the athlete into a star; that of spectacle, which reduces the athlete to an image or a number. Against these excesses, your witness is essential.

Dear athletes, you have been witnesses of an honest and beautiful way of inhabiting the world. You bring the idea that it is possible to compete without hating each other. That it is possible to win without humiliating. That one can lose without losing oneself. And this also applies beyond sport. It applies in social life, in politics, in relationships between peoples, because sport, if lived well, becomes a workshop for a reconciled humanity, where diversity is not a threat but a wealth. In an age of great climatic challenges, these Games also remind us of the bond between sport and nature, and our duty to take care of the common home (cf. Francis, Encyclical Letter Laudato si’ , 3).

Today, in this hall, we look upon the Cross of Sport – the Olympic and Paralympic Cross – which, from the London 2012 Games to those of Milan-Cortina, embodies the prayers, expectations and hopes, fears and sufferings of the men and women of all ages who share their sporting experiences. Before this supreme and essential sign of dedication, let us renew our desire to give the best of ourselves, together, in every activity.

Dear athletes, I thank you all for your commitment. I pray that Jesus Christ, “God’s true athlete” (cf. Saint John Paul II, Homily for the Jubilee of Sports People , 29 October 2000, 4), may inspire in each of you ever more virtuous challenges and grant you the strength to live them out with passion. As I accompany you with my blessing, I entrust you with a mission: to continue ensuring that the person remains at the centre of sport in all its forms (cf. Letter Life in Abundance ).

Good! Best wishes to you all, and welcome!

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“Even just one of these children”

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has chosen “Even just one of these children” as the title for his message for the 112th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, making clear reference to the Gospel according to Matthew: “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me” ( Mt  18:5). With this choice, the Holy Father intends to express the Church’s concern for minors directly involved in migration, recalling the duty to welcome each one of them as the Gospel teaches us.

This is not the first time that the Popes have spoken authoritatively on this issue, but the current migration situation presents new challenges that seriously threaten the rights and dignity of the youngest among us and require urgent and effective responses. Therefore, this is not a matter of discussing numbers or percentages, because “even just one” has the highest value.

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- Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia, titular of Sepino, apostolic nuncio in the United States of America;

- Dr. Federico Antellini Russo, director of the Supervisory and Financial Information Authority;

- Mr. Carlo De Benedetti, national coordinator of the Cursillos de Cristiandad in Italy;

- Ms. Chiara Amirante, founder of the Nuovi Orizzonti (New Horizons) Foundation;

- Athletes of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games;

- Mr. David M. Axelrod, and entourage.

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Resignation of bishop of Nicopolis, Bulgaria, and appointment of apostolic administrator  sede vacante

Appointment of members of the Dicastery for Communication

 

Resignation and appointment of apostolic nuncio in Germany

The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the office of apostolic nuncio in Germany, upon reaching the age limit, presented by Archbishop Nikola Eterović, and has appointed Archbishop Hubertus Matheus Maria van Megen, titular of Novaliciana, until now apostolic nuncio in Kenya, as apostolic nuncio in Germany.

 

Resignation of bishop of Nicopolis, Bulgaria, and appointment of apostolic administrator  sede vacante

The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Nicopolis, Bulgaria, presented by Bishop Strahil Veselinov Kavalenov, and has appointed Bishop Rumen Ivanov Stanev of Sofia and Plovdiv as apostolic administrator  sede vacante  of the same circumscription.

 

Appointment of members of the Dicastery for Communication

The Holy Father has appointed the following as members of the Dicastery for Communication: Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, Section for First Evangelization and the New Particular Churches; Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, O.F.M. Cap., archbishop of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, president of the Symposium des Conférences Episcopales d’Afrique et de Madagascar ; Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero, S.D.B., archbishop of Rabat, Morocco; Cardinal Filipe Neri António Sebastião do Rosário Ferrão, archbishop of Goa and Damão, India, president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences ; Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education; Archbishop Salvatore Fisichella, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, Section for Fundamental Questions regarding Evangelization in the World; Archbishop Ryan Jimenez P. of Agaña, Guam; Bishop Bernardin Francis Mfumbasa of Kondoa, Tanzania, president of the Pan African Episcopal Committee for Communications ; Bishop Marcelino Antonio M. Maralit of San Pablo, Philippines, president of the Office of Social Communications of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences ; Bishop Lizardo Estrada Herrera, O.S.A., auxiliary bishop and vicar general of Cuzco, Peru, secretary general of the Consejo Episcopal Latinoamericano y Caribeño ; the Reverend Father Roberto Pasolini, O.F.M. Cap., preacher of the Papal Household; and the distinguished Dr. Helen Osman, president of SIGNIS.

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Remote participation

Journalists and media operators who wish to participate in the Briefing remotely must apply, no later than two hours before the event, via the Holy See Press Office online accreditation system at  https://press.vatican.va/accreditamenti , selecting the event:  Briefing Viaggio Apostolico Algeria, Camerun, Angola e Guinea Equatoriale .

During the request phase, please select the option “Sì” in the box “Partecipazione da remoto”.

Journalists and media operators who are admitted will receive confirmation of participation via the online accreditation system and, at the same time, the link to access the virtual platform and participate actively in the Briefing, with the possibility to ask questions.l

Participation in person

Journalists and media operators who wish to participate in the Briefing in person must apply, no later than 24 hours before the event, via the Holy See Press Office online accreditation system at  https://press.vatican.va/accreditamenti , selecting the event:  Briefing Viaggio Apostolico Algeria, Camerun, Angola e Guinea Equatoriale .

Journalists and media operators who are admitted will receive confirmation of participation via the online accreditation system.

* * *

Journalists and media operators accredited for the Briefing are advised to arrive 30 minutes before the start time.

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Table 1 – Population and ecclesiastic structure in Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea as of 31 December 2024

Table 2 - People engaged in activities of the apostolate in Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea as of 31 December 2024

Table 3 - Indicators of pastoral workload in Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea as of 31 December 2024

Table 4 – Priestly vocations in Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea as of 31 December 2024

Table 5 - Educational centres owned / managed by ecclesiastics or religious in Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea as of 31 December 2024

Table 6 - Charitable and social centres owned / managed by ecclesiastics or religious in Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea as of 31 December 2024

 

The following are some statistical data regarding the situation of the Catholic Church in Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea as of 31 December 2024:

Table 1 – Population and ecclesiastic structure in Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea as of 31 December 2024

 

 

Algeria

Cameroon

Angola

Equatorial Guinea

Area (km²)

2,381,741

475,442

1,246,700

28,051

Population

(in thousands)

46,794

28,759

35,122

1,669

Density (inhabitants/Km 2 )

20

60

28

59

Catholics (in thousands)

9

8,303

20,310

1,248

Catholics per 100 inhabitants

0.02

28.87

57.83

74.78

Ecclesiastical circumscriptions

4

26

20

5

Parishes

29

1,426

519

99

Other pastoral centres

5

3,019

1,483

568

Catholics per pastoral centre

257

1,868

10,145

1,871

 

Table 2 - People engaged in activities of the apostolate in Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea as of 31 December 2024

 

Algeria

Cameroon

Angola

Equatorial Guinea

 

Bishops¹

9

35

27

6

Diocesan priests

12

2,388

1,007

172

Religious priests

48

912

504

93

Priests in total

60

3,300

1,511

265

Permanent deacons

1

21

18

3

Men religious (other than professed priests)

18

260

340

28

Professed women religious

105

3,331

2,460

169

Members of Secular Institutes

-

33

8

1

Lay missionaries

20

108

43

19

Catechists

6

26,328

56,559

790

______________________

  ¹ Situation as of 28.02.2026

 

Table 3 - Indicators of pastoral workload in Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea as of 31 December 2024

 

 

Algeria

Cameroon

Angola

Equatorial Guinea

 

Catholics per priest                                                   

146

2.516

13,441

4,709

Catholics per pastoral worker

41

248

333

974

Priests per pastoral centre

1.76

0.74

0.76

0.40

Priests per 100 people engaged in activities of the apostolate                                                         

30.9

10.0

2.5

21.2

 

Table 4 – Priestly vocations in Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea as of 31 December 2024  

Algeria

Cameroon

Angola

Equatorial Guinea

Minor seminarians

-

1,831

1,598

52

Major seminarians

4

2,218

2,366

105

Major seminarians per 100,000 inhabitants

0.01

7.71

6.74

6.29

Major seminarians per 100,000 Catholics

45.77

26.71

11.65

8.41

Major seminarians per 100 priests

6.67

67.21

156.59

39.62

 

Table 5 - Educational centres owned / managed by ecclesiastics or religious in Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea as of 31 December 2024

 

Algeria

Cameroon

Angola

Equatorial Guinea

Schools:

 

 

 

 

-       Pre-school and primary

3

1,668

389

86

-       Middle and secondary

2

276

131

31

-       Higher education and universities

9

34

10

3

Students of:

 

 

 

 

-       Pre-school and primary

230

299,586

321,122

17,617

-       Middle and secondary

100

127,871

121,218

8,129

-       Higher education and universities

2,617

15,842

24,233

112

 

Table 6 - Charitable and social centres owned / managed by ecclesiastics or religious in Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea as of 31 December 2024

 

Algeria

Cameroon

Angola

Equatorial Guinea

 

Hospitals

-

59

48

-

Clinics

1

279

76

9

Leper colonies

-

7

7

1

Homes for the elderly and disabled

2

12

12

3

Orphanages and nurseries

5

42

112

6

Family consultation centres

1

21

5

-

Special social education or rehabilitation centres

-

30

5

1

Other institutions

9

138

70

15

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