Pope Blasts "Extractivism" on Visit to Diamond-Rich Angola

(IDEX Online) - Pope Leo XIV addressed exploitation and social injustice in Angola's diamond-rich areas on Monday (20 April) during a 10-day tour of four African countries.

He spoke of the damage done by "extractivism" - a clear reference to the country's oil and diamond industries - during an open-air Mass for 40,000 people in Saurimo, 35km from the vast Catoca diamond mine.

"Dear friends, I have mentioned the material riches upon which powerful interests lay their claim, even within your own country," he said.

"How much suffering, how many deaths, how many social and environmental disasters are brought about by this logic of extractivism!"

Diamonds represent Angola's second biggest export after oil, and the government has been ramping up production as part of an aggressive high-volume, low-price policy.

But more than half the country's 36 million population is surviving on under $3.65 per day, according to 2024 World Bank figures.

The Pope, who was elected last May as the first US-born pontiff, spoke of how "the hope of many people is frustrated by violence, exploited by the overbearing and defrauded by the rich".

He said that when injustice corrupts hearts, the bread of all becomes the possession of a few.

Earlier, when he arrived in Luanda (on 18 April), Pope Leo decried the "powerful interests" that were claiming natural resources, and the despots who were exploiting them, causing "suffering, deaths, and social and environmental disasters.

Screen grab courtesy Vatican News, show the Pope arriving in Angola.