The Vatican has announced that Pope Leo XIV will undertake a series of apostolic journeys this spring and early summer, visiting Monaco, four African nations and Spain.
In a statement released on February 25, the director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, confirmed that the Holy Father had accepted invitations from both civil and ecclesiastical authorities in the respective countries. Detailed programmes for each visit will be published in due course.
The first journey will see the Pope travel to the Principality of Monaco on March 28. Accepting the invitation of the Head of State and the Archbishop of the Principality, Leo XIV will make a one-day visit to the Mediterranean city-state, continuing a long-standing tradition of papal engagement with the historically significant Catholic principality.
Barely a month later, the Pope will embark on a more extensive journey to Africa. For 10 days, from April 13 to 23, he will visit Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea, travelling across North and sub-Saharan Africa within the space of 10 days.
In Algeria, Leo XIV will be in Algiers and Annaba from April 13 to 15. The visit is being made at the invitation of the Head of State and the local ecclesiastical authorities. The Catholic community in Algeria is small but historically rooted.
From Algeria the Pope will fly to Cameroon, where he will visit Yaoundé, Bamenda and Douala between April 15 and 18. Cameroon is home to a vibrant and growing Catholic population, and the inclusion of Bamenda, in the country’s anglophone region, is likely to draw particular attention.
The third leg of the African journey will take Leo XIV to Angola from April 18 to 21. He is scheduled to visit Luanda, Muxima and Saurimo. Angola has one of the largest Catholic populations in Africa, and Marian devotion remains especially strong, with Muxima recognised as a major pilgrimage site.
From Angola the Holy Father will travel to Equatorial Guinea, where he will be in Malabo, Mongomo and Bata from April 21 to 23.
The final journey announced in the statement will take place in early summer. From June 6 to 12, 2026, Pope Leo XIV will travel to Spain, again accepting the invitation of the Head of State and the country’s ecclesiastical authorities. Further details of the cities to be visited and the events planned will be released at a later date.
With three international journeys announced within the space of a few months, the Vatican’s statement signals an intense period of travel for Leo XIV over the coming months.
As is customary, the detailed programmes, including liturgical celebrations, public addresses and private meetings, will be published by the Holy See Press Office in due course.
