Pope Leo traveled to Angola to a Catholic shrine, remembering the suffering of the African slave trade era. He visited the Sanctuary of Mama Muxima, which became a pilgrimage site after a reported appearance of the Virgin Mary.

Pope Leo on Sunday recalled the “sorrow and great suffering” Angolans endured for centuries, as the American pope prayed at a Catholic shrine located at the site of an important hub of the African slave trade during Portugal’s colonial rule. Leo travelled to the Sanctuary of Mama Muxima, nestled in the Angolan savannahs of baobab trees at the edge of the Kwanza River. It became a major pilgrimage destination after believers reported an appearance by the Virgin Mary around 1833. But the Church of...