Pope Leo XIV has indicated that his next international journey could take him to Africa, with Algeria emerging as a likely stop in 2026.
The pontiff revealed his intentions on Tuesday during a press conference aboard the papal plane, as he returned to Rome after a six-day visit to Turkey and Lebanon, his first overseas voyage since his election in May.
“I hope to make a trip to Africa, which could be my next trip,” the 70-year-old US-born pope said.
He added that he hoped to visit Algeria “to see the places from the life of Saint Augustine,” the revered fifth-century theologian born in the North African country.
Leo XIV, a member of the Augustinian order, said such a visit would help strengthen “dialogue and bridge-building between the Christian and the Muslim worlds.”
Augustine, he noted, remains a unifying figure in Algeria, where he is regarded as “a son of the nation.”
Vatican sources revealed that a wider African itinerary could include Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.
The pontiff, who leads the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, also signalled interest in future travel to “Latin America, Argentina, Uruguay,” as well as Peru, where he previously served as a missionary for more than two decades.
The comments came at the close of a landmark trip that took him first to Turkey and then to Lebanon, where he presided over a mass attended by more than 150,000 people at Beirut’s waterfront.
His visit to Lebanon came as the country grapples with a deep economic crisis and ongoing fears of renewed conflict following last year’s war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Before landing in Rome, Leo XIV renewed his appeal for an end to hostilities in Lebanon and urged fresh efforts towards peace in the wider Middle East.
His next journey is expected to be confirmed by the Vatican in the coming months.
AFP
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