✍️ BY: Dr. Hana Saada
Algiers – October 2025 – In a statement that underscores Algeria’s long-standing commitment to tolerance and peaceful coexistence, the Bishop of Algiers, Jean-Paul Vesco, hailed Algeria’s policy of interfaith dialogue as “a model to be emulated worldwide.” Speaking in an interview published on Sunday by Horizons Daily, Vesco emphasized that the recent meeting between President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and Pope Leon XIV at the Vatican carried “profound human significance and helped break down many barriers.”
According to the Bishop, Pope Leon XIV has a deep and genuine affection for Algeria, having visited the country twice before his election, while President Tebboune has consistently demonstrated “a sincere respect for the Catholic Church,” a respect Vesco described as “entirely mutual.” He noted that it had been two decades since an Algerian head of state was last received at the Vatican, underscoring the symbolic and diplomatic weight of this summer’s encounter, which he called “a powerful message reflecting the quality of relations between the Holy See and Algeria.”
Vesco further recalled the visit of Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher — the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States, equivalent to a Foreign Minister — in October 2022, marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Algeria and the Holy See. He stressed that this milestone visit “solidified a genuine deepening of exchanges and mutual understanding between the two sides.”
When asked about avenues to further strengthen interfaith dialogue, Bishop Vesco praised Algeria’s policy in this regard as “exemplary,” explaining that as a Muslim-majority nation, Algeria has long provided a dignified space for minorities, including the Christian community. He highlighted the enduring presence of the Catholic Church in Algeria, pointing to Saint Augustine as a foundational symbol, and recalling that after independence in 1962, Cardinal Duval encouraged priests to remain in Algeria to affirm the “possibility and beauty of coexistence.”
On the rise of Islamophobia in the West, the Bishop acknowledged that the phenomenon “indeed exists,” noting that it is “fueled by fear, ignorance, and societal isolation.” In contrast, he observed, “Algeria’s historical and geographical position — at the crossroads of the Arab-Islamic and Western worlds — enables it to serve as a bridge of dialogue and understanding between civilizations.”
Addressing the question of colonial memory, Vesco described the colonial legacy as “a deep wound within collective memory,” stressing that “every form of colonization represents a form of violence that has yet to be fully acknowledged.” He concluded by emphasizing the urgent need for “a reconciliation of memories,” not for the sake of blame, but to “liberate future generations from the weight of unresolved history.”
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