Pope Leo XIV will travel to six countries over the next four months, including a 10-day tour of Africa and trips to Monaco and Spain, the Vatican announced 25 February.
His first stop will be Monaco on 28 March – the first papal visit there in the modern era. Then, from 13-23 April, he’ll travel to Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea, marking his first visit to Africa as pope.
The Vatican said peace and care for the poor will be key themes of the trip. In Algeria, he hopes to visit sites linked to St Augustine and to “continue the conversation of dialogue, of building bridges between the Christian world and the Muslim world.”
And, in Cameroon, he’ll enter a region scarred by separatist violence. In June, Pope Leo heads to Spain, where he is expected to inaugurate the tallest tower of Barcelona’s Sagrada Família and visit the Canary Islands.
With expected stops in Tenerife and Gran Canaria, the Canary Islands visit could draw attention to the migration issue. The Atlantic archipelago, situated off the northwest coast of Africa, is one of Europe’s main entry points for migrants crossing from Africa.
