Ashley Noronha joined John Morales on Morning Air to discuss Pope Leo’s general audience from Wednesday, April 29, his first since returning from Africa.

At the audience, the Holy Father reflected on his apostolic journey not simply as diplomatic travel, but as a joyful encounter with God’s people. His visit to Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea brought him face to face with civil leaders, prisoners, young people, catechists, and ordinary Catholics, all witnessing to the Church’s mission amid suffering and hope.

Pope Leo said he had desired to visit Africa from the beginning of his pontificate. In a world marked by unrest, he saw Africa as one of the Church’s living spiritual centers, a fitting place to sow seeds of peace. His first stop was Algeria, the land of St. Augustine, founder of his order. There, he emphasized that Augustine’s message remains urgent today: people of different religions can live as brothers and sisters when they recognize themselves as children of the same merciful Father.

In Cameroon, which Pope Leo called “Africa in miniature,” he addressed many of the continent’s wounds in one place, preaching peace, reconciliation, and unity. In Angola, he recalled the tragedy of civil war and praised the Church’s role in helping rebuild what violence had damaged. One of the most memorable moments came at the Mama Muxima Shrine, where he saw elderly faithful, marked by toil and suffering, still rejoicing in the Gospel.

In Equatorial Guinea, the Holy Father visited inmates at Bata Prison despite a raging storm. He urged them not to be defined by their mistakes, but to seek renewal through reconciliation and personal transformation. As the rain poured down, the prisoners sang songs of thanksgiving, outsounding the storm itself.

For Pope Leo, that moment became the clearest image of the journey: grace rising even in hardship, and the Church proclaiming Christ’s mercy where the world sees only wounds.