According to information released by the Vatican, preparations are in top gear ahead of Pope Leo’s first historic visit to Africa.
The member of the Order of St. Augustine (OSA) is billed to visit Algeria, home to the 4th-century Patristic Church Father and founder of his congregation, St. Augustine of Hippo.
“I hope to make a trip to Africa, which could be my next trip. Personally, I hope to go to Algeria to visit the places from the life of Saint Augustine,” the Pontiff said.
This marks the second international pastoral journey of the Pope after visiting Turkey and Lebanon in November and December 2025.
Rome indicates that the papal trip could also include Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon and a possible stop in Angola.
In May 2025, Vatican News disclosed that Africa constitutes 20% of the 1.406 billion Catholics in the world and is characterised by a highly dynamic spread of the Catholic Church.
The data noted that “the number of Catholics increased from 272 million in 2022 to 281 million in 2023, with a relative variation of +3.31%.
“The Democratic Republic of Congo confirms its first-place position for the number of baptized Catholics, with almost 55 million, followed by Nigeria with 35 million; Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya also register significant figures.”
As the 70-year-old who was elected in May 2025 prepares for this trip, African commentators expect him to speak about issues related to insecurity, poverty and despotic regimes across the continent.
A timeline of papal visits to Africa shows that Pope John Paul II made extensive pastoral journeys to Africa throughout his pontificate, with major trips occurring in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1995 and 1998.
Pope John Paul II visited dozens of African countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, DR Congo, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea and Togo.
Other countries visited by John Paul II in Africa include the Central African Republic, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Senegal, Gambia, Uganda, South Africa, Cameroon, Sudan, Benin Republic and Angola.
These visits marked a milestone in the growing Catholic population in Africa, with the Pope addressing the issues of poverty and humanitarian conflicts.
Pope Francis also made multiple trips to Africa during his pontificate, addressing the issues of peace, reconciliation, social justice and environmental friendliness and responsibility across the continent.
The visits were across more than 10 African countries included Kenya, Uganda, the Central African Republic in 2015; Mozambique, Madagascar and Mauritius in 2019 and DR Congo and South Sudan in 2023.
Papal pastoral visits are intentional journeys by the Pope to strengthen the faith of Catholics, support local churches and act as a witness to the wider world.
