Interfaith dialogue: ‘The messenger of peace in the name of Pope Leo XIV is coming to visit us’

As Pope Leo XIV makes a historic visit to Algeria, in the spirit of interfaith dialogue, François Picard is pleased to welcome Father Fred Wekesa, Rector of the Basilica of Saint Augustine in Annaba. From his experience of living over a decade in Algeria, he challenges inherited narratives shaped by the violence of the 1990s, highlighting the present reality of coexistence and tolerance. He argues that interreligious dialogue must extend beyond institutions into families and daily life.