Pope Leo will embark on his first major overseas trip of 2026 to Africa from April 13 to 23, the Vatican announced Wednesday, visiting Algeria, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, and Cameroon. The tour underscores the continent’s growing importance to the Catholic Church, which has seen rapid expansion in the region.
The pontiff is expected to draw large crowds, promote interfaith dialogue, and urge world leaders to support development initiatives across Africa. Reverend Agbonkhianmeghe Orobator, a Nigerian Jesuit, said the trip will signal that “Africa matters and the vibrancy of the Church in Africa remains at the heart of a thriving global Church.” About 20 percent of the world’s Catholics live on the continent, according to Vatican statistics.
The first leg of the tour in Algeria will see Pope Leo visit Algiers and Annaba from April 13 to 15. The visit is highly symbolic: Algeria, with a population of some 47 million and a largely Muslim demographic, has never hosted a papal visit before. The trip will focus on Christian-Muslim dialogue and comes 30 years after the beheading of seven French Trappist monks during Algeria’s civil war in the 1990s.
The pope’s Algerian visit also honors the legacy of St Augustine (354–430), a foundational figure in Christianity and native of present-day Annaba. Pope Leo belongs to the Augustinian order, further underscoring the historical significance.
After Algeria, Pope Leo will travel to Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea, following a tradition of papal visits to highlight Africa’s Catholic communities. Notably, John Paul II was the last pope to visit Equatorial Guinea in 1982, while Pope Benedict XVI visited Angola and Cameroon in 2009.
In addition to his African itinerary, the pope will make a one-day visit to Monaco on March 28 and will travel to Spain from June 6-12, the Vatican said.
