Vatican Confirms Pope Leo XIV Will Not Visit U.S. in 2026
Pontiff to focus on Africa, South America, and Spain amid global pastoral engagements
Pope plans apostolic trips to Africa, Peru, and Spain instead
The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Leo XIV will not travel to the United States in 2026, dismissing reports that suggested the pontiff might return to his native country for a major national milestone.
The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, directly addressed the speculation and clarified that the pope has no plans to make an apostolic visit to the U.S. next year.
Some American Catholics had expected a papal visit to coincide with the United States’ 250th anniversary of independence on July 4, 2026. However, Vatican officials made it clear that such a trip is not on the pope’s calendar.
Instead, Pope Leo XIV is shaping an active international travel schedule focused on other regions of the world.
Church leaders in Africa have confirmed that the pontiff plans to visit several countries on the continent in April, shortly after Easter. Local authorities have publicly named Angola and Equatorial Guinea as confirmed destinations, while many expect Cameroon to feature in the itinerary as well.
In South America, the pope plans to return to Peru later this year. Peruvian bishops announced that the visit will likely take place in November or early December. The country holds personal significance for Pope Leo XIV, who previously served there as a bishop.
The pontiff also intends to visit Spain this summer. Spanish Church authorities have indicated that the trip will include major stops in Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands.
Historically, several popes have made high-profile visits to the United States. Pope Paul VI became the first to do so in October 1965, when he addressed the United Nations in New York.
St. John Paul II later traveled to the U.S. multiple times, beginning in October 1979. During that first visit, he stopped in cities including Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Des Moines, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., where he met then-President Jimmy Carter. He returned again in 1995 for the United Nations’ 50th anniversary and made his final U.S. visit to St. Louis in 1999.
Pope Benedict XVI also visited the United States in April 2008. During the trip, he celebrated his 81st birthday at the White House with President George W. Bush and later prayed at Ground Zero in New York to honor victims of the September 11 attacks.
The most recent papal visit to the United States came in September 2015, when Pope Francis traveled to Washington, D.C., New York, and Philadelphia. During the visit, he canonized Junípero Serra, addressed the U.S. Congress, spoke at the United Nations General Assembly, and presided over events marking the close of the Eighth World Meeting of Families.
While Pope Leo XIV will not visit the United States in 2026, his upcoming journeys underscore a continued focus on strengthening the Catholic Church’s presence across Africa, Latin America, and Europe.
