Pope Leo to visit Angola as part of an Africa tour, Vatican envoy says

Leo has accepted an invitation from President Joao Lourenco to visit, but the date and other details have yet to be decided

Pope Leo XIV gestures during the weekly general audience in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Jan 7, 2026. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

Pope Leo plans to visit Angola as part of a multi-nation trip across Africa, the Vatican's ambassador to the country announced on Tuesday, in what could be the pontiff's first overseas trip in 2026.

Archbishop Kryspin Dubiel, the Vatican's envoy, told journalists at a briefing in Luanda that Leo had accepted an invitation from President Joao Lourenco to visit, but the date and other details had yet to be decided.

"The Holy Father has accepted the invitation … (but) we are currently in the process of preparing the plan and programme," said Dubiel.

The Vatican press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Leo, elected in May to succeed the late Pope Francis as head of the Catholic Church, has made only one overseas trip so far, visiting Turkey and Lebanon in November and December.

The pope said in a December press conference that he wished to visit Africa but did not mention Angola. Leo, a member of the Augustinian religious order, said he wanted to visit Algeria, birthplace of St. Augustine of Hippo.

The last papal trip to Africa was in 2023, when Francis visited Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. Pope Benedict XVI was the last pontiff to visit Angola, in 2009.

Leo, the first US pope, previously travelled to Africa many times as a cardinal and the head of his religious order.

Another trip Leo is expected to make in 2026 is to Spain and to the Canary Islands, which has become a major point of entry for migrants trying to get to Europe. A Spanish cardinal told reporters at the Vatican last week that the trip is in the planning phase.