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 50th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations Between the Holy See, the European Union and the Council of Europe Scott 1754 (2020) After a busy first year that tied the new pope, Leo XIV, primarily to the Vatican and Italy, his schedule for 2026 is reportedly starting to fill up with travels to foreign destinations. A “National Catholic Register” report this past Saturday indicated that the pontiff may be planning a trip to Strasbourg, France, in April to address the European Parliament (EP). The EP is the European Union's (EU) only directly-elected institution, consisting of 720 members. The pope met with the EP President, Roberta Metsola from Malta, in late January, and she reportedly extended an invitation to the pontiff. That visit may take place as soon as April 28. Two of Pope Leo’s predecessors, Pope John Paul II (in 1988) and Pope Francis (in 2014) have visited Strasbourg to address the EP and the Council of Europe. The 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the European Union (and the Council of Europe) was commemorated in 2020 with the souvenir sheet issued by Vatican City shown at the top of the page. A visit to the European Parliament may the pope's first foreign trip of the year, ahead of what is shaping up as a busy travel program. As of February 2026, the Holy See has not released an official schedule of foreign trips for Pope Leo XIV. A check of the Holy See website shows no foreign trips on the calendar through June. However, there have been trips that could be classified as “speculated”, “likely” and “confirmed”. Here are trips that have been reported in various outlets as either “confirmed” or “highly likely”: 
 Algeria: Saint Augustine of Hippo (Scott 187, 1954) Equatorial Guinea: Pope John Paul II, 1982 (Scott 742, 1984) Angola: Pope Benedict XVI, 2008 (Scott 1455, 2009) Africa (first half of 2026): Pope Leo XIV has stated that Africa will likely be his next major journey. A May timeframe has been suggested for the trip. A stop in Algeria would mark the first visit by a pope to this country. Pope Leo has specifically wanted to to visit Algeria due to its association with Saint Augustine of Hippo, the patron of the pope’s religious order. The countries of Angola and Equatorial Guinea are also planned sites on the voyage.  Spain: Pope Benedict XVI, 2006 (Scott 1367, 2007) Spain (First half of 2026): Spanish Cardinal José Cobo of Madrid has indicated that a visit is being planned for 2026, with June as the rumored month for the visit. The proposed itinerary includes Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands.  Peru: Pope Francis, 2018 (Scott 1721, 2019) Peru (Late 2026): The Pope has expressed a strong desire to return to Peru, where he previously served as a missionary and as archbishop of Chiclayo. A visit would likely not take place until in the second half of the year (possibly as late as November) to avoid drawing attention away from Peru's April 2026 national elections. One “speculated” papal destination would be to Nigeria (as part of his trip to Africa) to visit the region wracked by the persecution of Christians. A trip to Mexico has also been floated, as the pope has expressed his desire to visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. And there is unending speculation as to when the pope will return to his native United States. So, after an inaugural year when Pope Leo made only one foreign pilgrimage (to Turkey and Lebanon in November and December of 2025), it appears that the pontiff will resume a busy foreign travel program, following in the footsteps of his most recent predecessors. REFERENCES: |
