Pope Leo XIV will begin a 10-day visit to four African countries on 13 April, marking his first pastoral trip to the continent since becoming head of the Catholic Church, the Vatican has announced.
The pontiff will travel to Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea.
In Cameroon, he is scheduled to visit the capital Yaoundé, the commercial hub Douala and Bamenda in the conflict-hit Northwest region, where an armed separatist crisis has persisted for nearly a decade.
The trip will also be historic for Algeria, a predominantly Muslim country, as it will mark the first time a pope has visited the North African nation. In December, Leo XIV expressed his wish to travel to Algeria, the birthplace of St Augustine of Hippo. The pontiff, who belongs to the Augustinian order, has previously emphasised the importance of interfaith dialogue.
Although this will be his first pastoral visit to Africa as pope, he has longstanding ties to the continent. Before his election, as Cardinal Robert Prevost, he visited several African countries, including Kenya and Tanzania.
The visit underscores Africa’s growing significance within the Catholic Church. The continent is home to roughly 20% of the world’s Catholics and remains one of the fastest-growing regions for the faith.
In January, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo of Kinshasa indicated that the Pope was planning an April visit, saying papal trips to countries facing hardship are intended to offer hope and solidarity to suffering communities.
Leo XIV’s Africa tour follows his first foreign journey as pope, to Turkey and Lebanon last year, where he appealed for peace in the Middle East.
The most recent papal visit to Africa took place in February 2023, when his predecessor, Pope Francis travelled to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.
The Vatican is yet to release the full programme for Leo XIV’s trip, but Vatican News reports that between 13 and 23 April he will visit Algiers and Annaba in Algeria; Yaoundé, Bamenda and Douala in Cameroon; Luanda, Muxima and Saurimo in Angola; and Malabo, Mongomo and Bata in Equatorial Guinea — Africa’s only Spanish-speaking nation.
