“The elderly must not only be helped; above all, they must be listened to,” said Pope Leo XIV during a visit to a care home for the elderly in Saurimo (Angola) on the eighth day of his tour of four countries in Africa, this April 20, 2026.
Echoing themes beloved by his predecessor, Pope Francis, Pope Leo described the elderly as "the guardians of a people’s wisdom."
The Pontiff arrived by plane in Saurimo, the capital of Lunda Sul province in the east of the country, at around 9.20 am local time (10.20 am Rome time), before heading to the town’s care home for the elderly, where he arrived shortly before 10.00 am (11.00 am Rome time), accompanied along the way by jubilant crowds of Angolans. In the care home’s central courtyard, he was welcomed by the singing and dancing of the 62 residents and staff.
As he had done previously at an orphanage in Yaoundé, Leo XIV addressed them briefly to emphasise the importance of living together in this care home as if in a family. “I like to think that Jesus also dwells here, in this house,” he assured them, encouraging them to live in prayer and to forgive one another.
ALBERTO PIZZOLI | ALBERTO PIZZOLI
The Pope expressed his gratitude to the staff and the Angolan authorities for establishing this center, which is open to “the most destitute elderly.”
“Caring for the vulnerable is a very important sign of the quality of a country’s social life,” he emphasized.
“The elderly must not only be helped; above all, they must be listened to,” affirmed Leo XIV. Echoing themes beloved by his predecessor, Pope Francis, he described them as “the guardians of a people’s wisdom,” calling for “gratitude” for the “great hardships” they have endured for the good of the community.
The Pope presented the home with a statue of Saint Joseph and rosaries for the residents. The residents in turn presented him with a traditional statue.
