By Nimi Princewill, CNN

Abuja (CNN) — For Mauro Rui Callado Cortêz, a Catholic lay teacher in Angola, the “unique opportunity” to see Pope Leo XIV in person was unmissable, even though serious illness should have confined him to bed.

“My visual contact with the Holy Father was a unique moment; it transmitted such a great physical and spiritual lightness that the feeling of satisfaction doesn’t end,” Cortêz told CNN about his experience of seeing the papal car pass by outside Luanda International Airport, shortly after Leo’s arrival on Saturday.

Angola was the third stop on an 11-day tour of four African nations that has prompted wide excitement among the faithful on a continent, which is home to around 20% of the world’s Catholics – but also disquiet in some quarters.

Critics have voiced concern that Leo’s decision to visit Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, both governed by long-serving leaders who maintain tight control over the Central African nations, has given tacit approval to authoritarian regimes.

The trip has been further complicated by a diplomatic dispute with the Trump administration regarding the pope’s stance on the Middle Eastern conflict.

The Pope has sought to downplay the perceived conflict, emphasizing that his trip to Africa focuses on peacebuilding and that he’s not seeking to “debate” the president.

Leo has taken a strong stance against corruption and the exploitation of Africa’s natural resources by foreign powers in his public addresses. He’s also advocated for peace and reconciliation in areas affected by conflict.

But the optics of the tour, which coincides with the first anniversary of the death of Pope Francis, Leo’s predecessor and a champion of the poor, remain troubling for many.

While in Africa, the pope has been greeted by sizeable crowds. In Bamenda, the center of a conflict between English-speaking separatists and the Francophone government in Cameroon, there was a festive atmosphere as Leo took part in a peace meeting and celebrated a Mass.

“We want peace, that is all we want,” said Pamela Nze ahead of the Mass. Earlier, Jamconfidence Masha waved a peace plant as she waited for the pope to arrive. She works as a clothes maker in Bamenda – her shop was destroyed during the conflict. She said the pope was bringing a message of “love, hope and unity.”

On Tuesday, on the flight from Angola to Equatorial Guinea, Leo paid tribute to Pope Francis, on the one-year anniversary of his predecessor’s death. He described Francis’s life as a “great gift” to the church and the world, emphasizing the late pope’s “closeness to the poorest, to the least (among us), to the sick, to children, to the elderly.”

A complicated tour

The trip, which concludes this week in Equatorial Guinea, began with a historic visit to Algeria on April 13, where Leo became the first pope to visit the predominantly Muslim nation. From there, he traveled to Cameroon, where he led a large Mass in Douala that drew over 100,000 attendees.

On Sunday in Angola, the pope addressed an audience of approximately 130,000 at two events, urging the nation to move beyond its longstanding divisions following a nearly three-decade war that ended in 2002.

Forty-four-year-old catechist Cortêz, who witnessed the visits of Pope John Paul II to his hometown, Huambo, in 1992 and Pope Benedict XVI to Luanda, the Angolan capital, in 2009, said he viewed Leo’s visit as “a great blessing” for the Southern African country, where Cat

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif.—The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has approved a series of measures aimed at addressing concerns around immigration enforcement, including new protections tied to elections and limits on enforcement activity on county property.

In a set of votes held Tuesday in Santa Maria, the board approved all three components of a proposal introduced by Supervisors Laura Capps and Roy Lee.

“We feel great because it just passed… so we’re ecstatic,” said Supervisor Laura Capps following the votes.

One of the measures—focused on election protections—passed unanimously in a 5–0 vote. The policy is designed to safeguard voter access and encourage participation, particularly among communities that may feel vulnerable due to immigration concerns.

“I’m really looking forward to hearing from elections on what their plan is, because we’ve got to have a plan,” said Supervisor Steve Lavagnino during the discussion.

Two additional measures passed by 4–1 votes.

The first establishes so-called “ICE-free zones” on county-owned property. The goal is to ensure residents can access essential public services—such as healthcare clinics and food assistance programs—without fear of immigration enforcement activity.

“Forty percent of our county population relies on county services in one way or another, whether it's our health clinics or CalFresh,” Capps said. “They need to feel safe. They need to feel as though they can trust those services.”

The second measure uses the county’s land-use authority in an effort to block the development of future immigration detention centers in unincorporated areas.

“If we had a detention center here in Santa Barbara County, deportations would increase,” Capps said. “It would make it far easier for ICE to already do what they're doing. We've already had several hundred deportations happen right here—it’s like a hunting ground.”

Supervisor Bob Nelson cast the lone dissenting vote on both of those measures. He raised concerns about potential unintended consequences, particularly regarding public perception of law enforcement authority.

“With this, I’m concerned that this creates another layer where people in our community might believe they can tell ICE they can’t be on county property—and that the sheriff’s office isn’t going to enforce it,” Nelson said. “Does that give someone the feeling they have the right to interfere with law enforcement?”

With Tuesday’s approvals, all three policies will now move forward.

Supervisor Roy Lee also encouraged cities across the county to consider adopting similar measures.

“We drew the line, and I encourage all the cities to draw the line as well—Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, Goleta, Lompoc, Solvang, Santa Maria—a lot of cities,” Lee said.

The post Santa Barbara County Draws the Line: Supervisors Advance ICE Limits and Voter Protections appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) —The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has approved a series of measures aimed at addressing concerns around immigration enforcement, including new protections tied to elections and limits on enforcement activity on county property.

In a set of votes held Tuesday in Santa Maria, the board approved all three components of a proposal introduced by Supervisors Laura Capps and Roy Lee.

“We feel great because it just passed… so we’re ecstatic,” said Supervisor Laura Capps following the votes.

One of the measures — focused on election protections — passed unanimously in a 5–0 vote. The policy is designed to safeguard voter access and encourage participation, particularly among communities that may feel vulnerable due to immigration concerns.

“I’m really looking forward to hearing from elections on what their plan is, because we’ve got to have a plan,” said Supervisor Steve Lavagnino during the discussion.

Two additional measures passed by 4–1 votes.

The first establishes so-called “ICE-free zones” on county-owned property. The goal is to ensure residents can access essential public services—such as healthcare clinics and food assistance programs— without fear of immigration enforcement activity.

“Forty percent of our county population relies on county services in one way or another, whether it's our health clinics or CalFresh,” Capps said. “They need to feel safe. They need to feel as though they can trust those services.”

The second measure uses the county’s land-use authority in an effort to block the development of future immigration detention centers in unincorporated areas.

“If we had a detention center here in Santa Barbara County, deportations would increase,” Capps said. “It would make it far easier for ICE to already do what they're doing. We've already had several hundred deportations happen right here — it’s like a hunting ground.”

Supervisor Bob Nelson cast the lone dissenting vote on both of those measures. He raised concerns about potential unintended consequences, particularly regarding public perception of law enforcement authority.

“With this, I’m concerned that this creates another layer where people in our community might believe they can tell ICE they can’t be on county property — and that the sheriff’s office isn’t going to enforce it,” Nelson said. “Does that give someone the feeling they have the right to interfere with law enforcement?”

With Tuesday’s approvals, all three policies will now move forward.

Supervisor Roy Lee also encouraged cities across the county to consider adopting similar measures.

“We drew the line, and I encourage all the cities to draw the line as well — Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, Goleta, Lompoc, Solvang, Santa Maria — a lot of cities,” Lee said.

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