Pope Leo XIV to visit four African Nations in first major overseas Trip of 2026
Pope Leo XIV will undertake a 10-day tour of Africa from April 13 to 23, visiting four countries in what will be his first major overseas trip of 2026, the Vatican announced on Wednesday.
The pontiff is scheduled to travel to Algeria, Angola, Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon, in a visit widely seen as underscoring the Vatican’s growing focus on Africa — the region where the Catholic Church is expanding most rapidly.
According to the Vatican, Leo will also make a one-day visit to Monaco on March 28 and travel to Spain from June 6 to 12. During his time in Spain, he is expected to visit the Canary Islands, which in recent years have become a key entry point for migrants attempting to reach Europe.
Sign of Priority for Africa
Leo, elected in May 2025 to succeed Pope Francis as leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, has so far made only one foreign trip — a visit to Turkey and Lebanon in November and December that had originally been planned for his predecessor.
Church officials and African Catholic leaders say the upcoming Africa tour signals the continent’s strategic importance to the global Church. About 20% of the world’s Catholics now live in Africa, according to Vatican statistics.
Rev. Agbonkhianmeghe Orobator, a Nigerian Jesuit who previously led his order’s communities across Africa, said the visit would send a powerful message.
“Pope Leo's visit will remind the world that Africa matters and the vibrancy of the Church in Africa remains at the heart of a thriving global Church,” he said.
Observers expect large crowds during the visit, with the pope likely to encourage international support for development initiatives and promote Catholic-Muslim dialogue in several of the predominantly Muslim or religiously diverse nations on the itinerary.
The trip will include a historic first: Leo will become the first pope to visit Algeria, a North African nation of about 47 million people where Catholics number only a few thousand.
The country holds particular spiritual significance for Leo, who belongs to the Augustinian order. Fourth-century theologian St. Augustine of Hippo — one of Christianity’s most influential early thinkers — was born in a region that is now part of modern-day Algeria.
The last papal visit to Africa took place in 2023, when Pope Francis traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. Pope Benedict XVI was the last pontiff to visit Angola and Cameroon in 2009, while Pope John Paul II last visited Equatorial Guinea in 1982.
In addition to the African and European trips, Leo is also expected to visit Peru in November 2026, a country where he previously served for decades as a missionary and bishop.
