The Church of Our Lady of Muxima in Angola was originally constructed by Portuguese colonizers in the late 16th century as part of a fortified complex.
Historically tied to the atransatlantic slave trade, the site stands today as a stark reminder of the deep historical connection between Catholic expansion and the exploitation of African populations.
Pope Leo XIV is expected to visit the church in Muxima during his Sunday stop on an African tour.
The site, now a major Catholic pilgrimage destination, gained religious significance after reports in the 19th century of an apparition of the Virgin Mary around 1833.
While the Church today honors it as a sacred shrine, its earlier history remains inseparable from its role in colonial-era slavery.
Before its transformation into a place of worship and pilgrimage, the white-painted church near the Kwanza River functioned as a holding and baptismal site for enslaved Africans. Under Portuguese priests, captives were reportedly baptized before being forced to march roughly 145 kilometers (90 miles) to Luanda, where they were shipped across the Atlantic to the Americas.
Portuguese colonial expansion was historically supported by 15th-century Vatican directives that permitted the enslavement of non-Christians, a policy that facilitated large-scale human trafficking. Historians estimate that more than five million Africans were taken from Angola alone through the transatlantic slave trade, accounting for nearly half of the approximately 12.5 million Africans transported across the ocean.
It remains uncertain whether Pope Leo XIV will directly address the legacy of slavery during his African visit, unlike predecessors such as St. John Paul II, who acknowledged the issue during trips to Cameroon in 1985 and Senegal in 1992. In a similar vein, former US President Joe Biden referred to slavery as America’s “original sin” during a 2024 visit to Angola.
Despite the painful history, some members of the Catholic community in Africa view the Pope’s planned presence at Muxima as symbolically powerful. As the pontiff prepares to recite the Rosary near the riverside fortress and chapel, local clergy believe the visit could redefine the site’s meaning.
“For me, the pope going there to pray the Rosary … he will give that place a new significance,” said Rev. Celestino Epalanga of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Angola. “We have to give it a new sense. To make this place sacred instead of being a place of evil.”
The symbolism of the visit has gained additional attention following research into Pope Leo XIV’s ancestry. A genealogist in the United States reportedly found that the first American pope, born Robert Prevost, has Creole roots, with maternal ancestors listed as people of color in Louisiana census records. The findings also suggest a family lineage that includes both enslaved individuals and slave owners.
Historical accounts further note that some of the earliest enslaved Africans brought to Louisiana originated from Angola, adding another layer of historical connection to the Pope’s visit.
Although Pope Leo has not publicly commented on his ancestry, historians and scholars see potential significance in his engagement with African Catholic communities. Mariana Candido, a historian at Emory University, said the Muxima pilgrimage site reflects a complex transformation from a symbol of oppression to one of faith.
“I can see how this is a way of connecting to Catholics in Angola, and making the Church more in sync with how people are practicing Catholicism in Angola and in African countries,” she said.
Candido also noted that Leo’s pastoral background in Chicago, a city with a large African American population, may shape his sensitivity to such historical intersections of race, faith, and memory.
Rev. Stan Chu Ilo, a Nigerian priest and academic at DePaul University, said the pontiff has already demonstrated efforts to elevate African representation within the Vatican. He cited recent appointments, including Nigerian cleric Monsignor Anthony Ekpo, as evidence of this shift.
“This pope is actively cultivating African presence within the church and trying to, I think, heal this policy or program of seeing Africa as just making up the numbers,” said Chu Ilo.
Pope Leo XIV previously stated that he chose Africa as his first papal destination shortly after his election, describing the visit as “very special for several reasons,” although other international trips delayed the journey.
Angola itself carries a long and turbulent history shaped by colonial rule and post-independence conflict. A former Portuguese colony until 1975, the country soon descended into a civil war that lasted intermittently for 27 years, claiming more than half a million lives.
While acknowledging the legacy of colonialism, local clergy such as Epalanga and Chu Ilo emphasize the Church’s potential role in addressing contemporary challenges, including poverty, inequality, and governance issues.
The Vatican has indicated that Pope Leo is expected to address themes such as resource exploitation, corruption, and authoritarian governance during his African visit.
Those concerns resonate strongly with Olivio Nkilumbo, an opposition lawmaker in Angola’s parliament, who argues that the country has yet to achieve meaningful democratic reform despite decades of independence and vast natural wealth.
“We still don’t have democracy, don’t have freedom,” said Nkilumbo, who urged the Pope to combine messages of peace with stronger advocacy for justice and accountability. “In my view, the pope knows the real situation of Angola.”
Although not Catholic himself, Nkilumbo praised the Church’s role in advocating for social equity in Angola, where it remains the dominant religious institution.
Rev. Epalanga also serves as executive secretary of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Angola, an organization that frequently challenges authorities on issues of poverty and governance. He said he expects to meet the Pope during his visit and hopes to urge greater commitment to social justice within the Church.
If given the opportunity, he said he would “thank him for coming and ask him to tell the bishops they should be more committed to the poor and to social justice.”
