We wish to share with you our closeness to the Algerian people, as May 8 marks the liturgical commemoration of the 19 martyrs of Algeria. Among the 19 martyrs are the seven monks of the Abbey of Atlas in Thibirine. The 19 martyrs were beatified in Oran on December 8, 2018.
The contemplative presence in Algeria began with the founding of the Trappist Monastery of Notre-Dame de Staouëli in 1834, which was closed by the monks in 1904 to avoid forced expropriation under French anticlerical laws. The Discalced Carmelites founded a monastery in 1872, which was closed in 1911 due to the Combes Law. In 1930, a monastery of Poor Clares was founded, but in 1995 the sisters were forced to leave the country due to the extreme violence of the civil war. The Trappists reestablished themselves at the monastery of Ben Chicao (1934–1937), a temporary place before moving, in 1938, to Thibirine, the Abbey of Our Lady of the Atlas. They remained there until 1996, the year of the tragic events that claimed the lives of seven of their monks.
In the last apostolic journey of our Holy Father Leo XIV, he visited four African countries, including Algeria. During his visit to the Martyrs’ Monument, he said: « In the Algerian heart, friendship, trust and solidarity are not merely words, but values that matter and give warmth and strength to your life together ». (1)
« A nation that loves God possesses true wealth, and the Algerian people cherish this jewel as one of their treasures. Our world needs believers like this — men and women of faith who thirst for justice and unity. For this reason, in the face of a humanity yearning for fraternity and reconciliation, it is a great gift and a sacred duty for us to declare with conviction that we are always united as brothers and sisters, children of the one God! » (2)
Also on May 8, in the year 2025, Pope Leo XIV was elected. His words, “ a disarmed and disarming peace” resonated deeply with each of us from the very beginning of his pontificate. These words touch the heart of the spirituality of Christian de Chergé, a monk at Atlas Abbey : « Then I asked myself: do I have the right to ask, “Disarm him,” if I don’t begin by asking, “Disarm me and disarm us as a community”? This is my daily prayer; I simply entrust it to you ». (3)
Today, the message of the Algerian martyrs resonates within us through the words of Leo XIV: « The future belongs to men and women of peace. In the end, justice will always triumph over injustice, just as violence, despite all appearances, will never have the last word». (2)To men and women who have the courage to pray: Lord, disarm him, disarm me, disarm us. Amen !
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(1) Visit to the Maqam Echahid Martyrs’ Monument. Address of His Holiness Leo XIV – April 13, 2026.
(2) Idem.
(3) Christian de Chergé, Lenten Recollection, March 8, 1996.
(4) Visit to the Maqam Echahid Martyrs’ Monument. Address of His Holiness Leo XIV – April 13, 2026.