Pope Leo Prepares to Tour the World, Starting from Monaco to 4 African Countries

Pope Leo XIV. (X @papalsupremacy)

JAKARTA - The Vatican on Thursday, February 26 local time, announced the schedule for Pope Leo XIV's series of international visits in the coming months.

The US-born pope will visit four African countries in April 2026, including Algeria - the first visit by a pope to the Muslim country in North Africa.

Leo's official visit to Algeria, which includes the cities of Algiers and Annaba from April 13 to 15, is reported to be very symbolic, accompanied by interreligious dialogue activities.

Algeria is the birthplace of the 5th-century Saint Augustine and the pope belongs to the Augustinian order, which was founded in the 13th century.

Algeria is also an Islamic country whose constitution guarantees freedom of worship of other religions, with the approval of the authorities for places of worship and preachers.

After that, Leo will continue his official visit to Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea.

Leo will visit Yaounde, Bamenda, and Douala from April 15 to 18, then Luanda, Muxima, and Saurimo between April 18 and 21, before traveling to Malabo, Mongomo, and Bata between April 21 and 23.

The pope is likely to call for peace and dialogue while in Angola and Cameroon, where protracted separatist struggles continue to kill civilians.

Monaco, Spain

Before departing for his trip to Africa, the Vatican said Pope Leo would first visit Monaco for one day on March 28.

Leo will visit the small kingdom on the French Riviera, which is the momentum of the first papal visit to the city-state in modern times.

The kingdom, on behalf of Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene, said in a statement that Pope Leo's visit would be "a historic moment for Monaco and a sign of strong hope, in the spirit of dialogue, peace, and shared responsibility."

Madrid, Barcelona, continued to Canary

The Vatican News website said Leo is scheduled to visit Spain from June 6-12. He will first visit the Spanish capital, Madrid, then travel to Barcelona, where he will inaugurate the latest and tallest tower of the Sagrada Familia Basilica.

The visit marks 100 years since the death of his Catalan architect, Antoni Gaudi, who was declared "venerable" by the Catholic Church in 2025, the first step towards sainthood.

Leo will then travel to the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago off the coast of West Africa, a key point in the migration route to Europe.

The head of the Catholic Church, which leads 1.4 billion Catholics around the world, was vocal in defending migrants in May 2025, an issue also noted by his predecessor, Pope Francis.

According to Vatican News, while in the Canary Islands, Leo will visit Tenerife and Gran Canaria.