Scott Mc Kiernan Presents zReportage.com Issue #1039 Story of the Week: Published: TUESDAY May 5, 2026: ‘Minority Flock: Catholics In Algeria’ by award winning ZUMA Press photo-journalist Sadak Souici: Islam is the state religion in Algeria, and while the constitution affirms freedom of conscience, non-Muslim worship is closely regulated. Algeria has roughly 45 million people but only a few thousand Catholics, often estimated at no more than 10,000, or 1% of the population. Pope Leo XIV’s recent visit to Africa was a historic, 11-day apostolic journey and the first-ever papal visit to Algeria, where the pontiff strengthened Christian-Muslim ties, acknowledging Algeria’s struggle for independence. Most Catholics are expatriates and indigenous Algerian Catholics are very few because conversion from Islam is both sensitive culturally and regulated. Yet, the Church maintains dioceses, parishes, and regular sacramental life, showing a qualitative rather than numerical impact. Welcome to ‘Mi...