Trending 
The Vatican announced on Wednesday that Pope Leo will visit four African countries from April 13 to April 23, in what will be his first major overseas trip of 2026.
The pope will travel to Algeria, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, and Cameroon, as disclosed by the Holy See Press Office.
The Vatican stated that Leo is expected to draw sizable crowds, encourage world leaders to support development on the continent, and raise efforts in Catholic-Muslim dialogue but did not disclose specific schedules for the visits.
“The longest—from 13 to 23 April—will see him following in the footsteps of Saint Augustine in Algeria, where he will visit Algiers and Annaba; then visiting Cameroon in Central Africa, with stops in Yaoundé, Bamenda and Douala; Angola, where he will visit Luanda, Muxima and Saurimo; and finally, Equatorial Guinea, where he will visit Malabo, Mongomo and Bata.
“This will be a complex trip, which is at the same time a journey in memory of the saint of Hippo, to whose figure the Successor of Peter is linked, and then touching two developing countries, with particular attention to the least, the poor and those who care for them.
“Moreover, the Journey will be focused on peace. Pope Leo will go to the Anglophone region in the north of Cameroon, where for ten years a civil war has been underway involving the regular armed forces and the separatists.
“The final stage of this African Journey will be to Equatorial Guinea, the only Spanish-speaking African country.”
Leo was elected in May to succeed the late Pope Francis as head of the 1.4-billion-member Church.
He has made one overseas trip so far, visiting Turkey and Lebanon in November and December on a visit originally organised for Francis.
Vatican officials and African Church leaders said the upcoming tour underscores the Church’s focus on Africa, where about 20% of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics live, according to Vatican statistics.
“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,” said Reverend Agbonkhianmeghe Orobator, a Jesuit from Nigeria who led his order’s communities across Africa from 2017 to 2023.
The Vatican also said the pope will make a one-day visit to Monaco on March 28.
He is scheduled to travel to Spain from June 6 to June 12 and is expected to visit the Canary Islands, which have become a major point of entry for migrants trying to reach Europe.
