Pope Leo's tour of dhimmitude continues

The current Catholic pope, whom Donald Trump recently took issue with over his disturbing kowtowing to bad causes, is now disembarking on a journey to Algeria, where he'll be the first pope to visit the Muslim dominated country:

Leo XIV will become the first pope to visit Algeria on Monday, taking a message of dialogue with Islam on a trip that also represents a personal pilgrimage for the American pontiff.

Algeria is the first stop on an 11-day tour of four African nations, covering 18,000 kilometres and also taking in Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea from April 13 to 23.

No other pontiff has visited Algeria, a North African country where Islam is the state religion, and the 70-year-old’s arrival is being eagerly awaited by the Catholic minority.

The visit also holds a strong personal dimension for Pope Leo, as modern-day Algeria was home to Saint Augustine (354-430), a great Christian theologian whose spiritual legacy permeates his pontificate.

As the world watches anxiously with war raging in the Middle East, peaceful coexistence will be at the heart of the pope’s message in a country where 99 percent of its 47 million inhabitants are Muslim.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the pope’s aim was to “address the Islamic world, but also to confront a common challenge of coexistence”.

Algeria’s constitution guarantees freedom of worship, although the authorities must approve both the place of worship and the preacher.

Yet human rights groups say the repression of religious minorities has continued in Algeria in recent years.

Don't count on Leo bringing up the persecution of Christians in the region, or even in Syria, for that matter. Islam doesn't recognize co-existence. It only recognizes erasure and replacement of all other cultures, though what's really horrific is the violent content of the koran.

Predictably, Leo responded to Trump's criticisms about how you could possibly expect:

Pope Leo XIV responded Monday to President Donald Trump criticising him over the U.S.-Israel war in Iran, telling reporters the Vatican works for peace and reconciliation based on the teachings of the Gospel, adding he fears neither the Trump administration or vigorous debate.

“To put my message on the same plane as what the president has attempted to do here, I think is not understanding what the message of the Gospel is,” Leo told the Associated Press aboard the papal plane en route to Algeria where he is beginning an historic four-country Africa trip.

“And I’m sorry to hear that but I will continue on what I believe is the mission of the church in the world today.”

And that's "turning the other cheek" when it comes to a savage-run country building nuclear weapons, huh? Leo's doing nothing to turn the tide on the Religion of Peace, and John Daniel Davidson at the Federalist news site so far hasn't commented on where the pope's going, which only suggests said site's not really interested in getting rid of Islam as a "teaching tool".

A vital point made about the need to disarm Hamas

Donald Trump made a vital point that the Hamas must surrender and disarm:

US President Donald Trump addressed the next phases of the Gaza peace plan, which began with a ceasefire and the return of all of the living hostages who remained in captivity yesterday.

Speaking to the media today (Tuesday), President Trump stated that "they will disarm because they said they are going to disarm. And if they don't disarm, we will disarm them."

"They know I'm not playing games," he added of Hamas.

Addressing the release of the hostages, he stated: "We did something monumental - we got the hostages back. That was the first thing we had to do, above all else, get the hostages back. They misrepresented, because we were told that they had 26-24 of dead hostages, if we can use those terms. It seems they don't have that, because we're talking about a much lesser number. That's a very tough subject. I want them back."

Even the bodies of dead victims must be returned. Last time I looked, only 4 had been. That's going to have to be the next serious step taken.

Update: here's also an important article where one of the hostages recalls how he was tortured by the jihadists when he was in their clutches:

Avi Ohana, the father of Yosef Haim Ohana, who was released from Hamas captivity, shared his emotions with the Moreshet channel, following his son’s return and spoke about the spiritual strength that sustained the family throughout the past two years.

“I am walking on cloud nine, in the sky,” he said emotionally. “For two years I could not sleep because of the pain, and now I cannot sleep because of the joy. This miracle is something beyond nature. As the days go by, I realize how much greater it is. The verse from Psalms is being fulfilled: ‘Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.’”

According to Ohana, after the signing of the latest deal, his son was transferred - together with about seven other hostages - to a deep, narrow pit, where they were held under extremely harsh conditions.

“They couldn’t sit, only stand and lean against the wall. There was no oxygen. A person could die just from that alone, God forbid. It was literally, ‘And Joseph was brought down to Egypt’ - Joseph in the pit,” he said.

“The miracle was tremendous,” he added. “He told me many things we didn’t know. After the deal was signed, we thought they were probably being taken out of the tunnels and organized for release. I asked him, ‘Was it really like that?’ He said, ‘Dad, after the deal was signed, they put me with six other guys and took us down the stairs - down, down, down. We thought we were going to another tunnel.’ But they ended up in a pit so small that seven men could barely stand, unable to sit, leaning against the wall. The lack of oxygen alone could have killed them.”

Ohana emphasized that what kept his son alive was faith and the thought of family. “Only one thing - family. The thought of dad, mom, brothers, friends. That’s what gave him strength.”

He's definitely lucky to have survived. And if his captors could be wiped out, they'll deserve to be sent to hell for what they did to him, period.

THE FACE OF COLLABORATION

Hat Tip: Red State