Pope Leo to Undertake Apostolic Journeys to Africa, Spain and Monaco

Vatican, Feb 25, 2026: The Holy See Press Office announced on Wednesday that Pope Leo XIV will undertake three Apostolic Journeys in the coming months: a one-day visit to the Principality of Monaco at the end of March, a ten-day mission to four African nations in April, and a six-day visit to Spain, including the Canary Islands, in June.

The schedule begins on 28 March with a brief trip to Monaco. In April, the Holy Father will travel across Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea, before heading to Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands from 6 to 12 June.

After his significant visit to Türkiye and Lebanon at the end of 2025 and the announcement of forthcoming pastoral visits within Italy, including Lampedusa, Pope Leo is once again embarking on pilgrimages across the globe.

Africa

The longest of the three journeys, scheduled from 13 to 23 April, will take the Holy Father to Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea.

In Algeria, he will retrace the legacy of Saint Augustine, visiting Algiers and Annaba. He will then travel to Cameroon, with stops in Yaoundé, Bamenda and Douala; to Angola, where he will visit Luanda, Muxima and Saurimo; and finally to Equatorial Guinea, with visits planned to Malabo, Mongomo and Bata.

The itinerary presents a demanding programme that combines remembrance of the saint of Hippo, to whom the Successor of Peter has a particular spiritual link, with visits to developing nations. The Pope is expected to give special attention to the poor, the vulnerable and those who serve them.

Peace will also be a central theme of the visit. In Cameroon, Pope Leo will travel to the Anglophone region in the north, where a civil conflict between government forces and separatist groups has persisted for a decade.

The journey will conclude in Equatorial Guinea, the only Spanish-speaking nation in Africa.

The duration of the trip is comparable to that of Pope Saint John Paul II’s 1985 visit, during which he travelled to seven countries in 11 days.

Principality of Monaco

The Pope’s Apostolic Journeys for the first half of 2026 will begin with a brief visit to the Principality of Monaco on 28 March, just before Holy Week.

Pope Leo chose to accept repeated invitations from the Monegasque authorities, which were initially extended to Pope Francis and later renewed to him.

Monaco is a European state where Catholicism is the official religion, and where collaboration between civil authorities and the Church continues to hold practical importance in public life.

The Principality’s commitment to peace is also noteworthy. The visit will mark the first time in the modern era that a Pope sets foot in Monaco.

Spain

From 6 to 12 June, Pope Leo will travel to Spain, beginning in Madrid and then proceeding to Barcelona. In Barcelona, he will inaugurate the newest and tallest tower of the Sagrada Familia, the landmark basilica that has transformed the skyline of the Catalan capital.

The visit coincides with the centenary of the death of Antoni Gaudí, the architect who initiated the construction of the Basilica and was declared a Venerable Servant of God last year.

Continuing his Spanish journey, the Holy Father will travel to the Canary Islands archipelago. This visit had already been close to the heart of the late Pope Francis, as Archbishop of Madrid Cardinal José Cobo Cano noted in January.

During his time in the Canary Islands, the Pope will visit Tenerife and Gran Canaria.

Diverse and Meaningful Destinations

Through these three Apostolic Journeys, Pope Leo XIV will encounter a wide range of nations and pastoral realities.

He will visit Algeria, a predominantly Muslim country where Christians form a small minority and serve as a sign of fraternity; majority-Christian countries in central Africa, marked by both challenges and vibrant expressions of faith; Monaco, the second smallest country in the world after Vatican City, located on the French Riviera; and Spain, a large European nation whose cultural identity has been deeply influenced by Christianity, yet shaped in recent decades by secularisation.

The journey will conclude in the Canary Islands, situated along one of the principal migration routes from Africa to Europe, where tens of thousands of arrivals take place each year.

Courtesy: Vatican News