What Is the First Country Pope Leo Xiv will Visit?

A few days before the “Habemus Papam”, the Holy See announced the first official trip of the now Pope Leo XIV. The Catholic leader’s visit will take place a couple of days after his enthronement mass, which will be held on May 18 in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican. Meanwhile, the supreme pontiff’s agenda began with the first activities on Friday, May 9, with a mass in the Sistine Chapel with the cardinals. On Saturday the 10th, he held a private meeting with the College of Cardinals. Also, on Monday, May 12, he met with media workers, and on Friday the 16th, Leo XIV will receive the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See, as confirmed by the Holy See Press Office.

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What Countries Has Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo Xiv, Visited Before?1680

Robert Prevost, now known as Pope Leo XIV, has visited numerous countries throughout his ecclesiastical career, both as a member of the Order of Saint Augustine and in his role as bishop and cardinal:

America

• Peru: As a missionary and bishop in Chiclayo, Prevost lived in Peru for several decades, performing pastoral and administrative functions.
• Mexico: He visited various Mexican cities, including Mexico City and Monterrey, in his capacity as an Augustinian leader.
• United States: He was born in Chicago, Illinois, and has visited various American cities in his ecclesiastical role.
• Argentina: He was in Tucumán, Catamarca and Buenos Aires on several occasions, participating in religious events and meetings with the Augustinian community.
• Colombia: He made visits to Bogotá and other cities, interacting with local religious communities.
• Cuba: He visited Havana, Ciego de Ávila, Las Tunas and Holguín in 2008 and 2011, and again in 2019 as bishop.
• Brazil: He was in Belo Horizonte, Campinas, São Paulo and Paraná on several occasions between 2004 and 2012, visiting Augustinian communities.
• El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua: In 2012, he made a pastoral tour of these Central American countries.

Europe

• Spain: He visited Ávila, Málaga, Valladolid, Bilbao, Oropesa, Talavera de la Reina, Palencia and León, mainly due to his connection with the Order of Saint Augustine.
• Italy: As a member of the Roman Curia, he resided in Rome and participated in ecclesiastical activities in various Italian cities.
• France: He visited Paris and other cities in his role as an Augustinian leader.
• United Kingdom: He made visits to London and other locations, interacting with religious communities.

Asia

• India: He visited the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in 2004 and 2006, participating in religious ceremonies and meetings with the Augustinian community.
• Philippines: He was in Cebu in 2004 and in Intramuros, Manila, in 2010, celebrating masses and visiting local communities.

Africa

• Nigeria: He visited Abuja in 2016, participating in religious activities and meetings with the local Catholic community.

Este Es El Primer País Que Visitará El Papa León Xiv3960

The first country that Robert Prevost will visit now as Pope Leo XIV will be Turkey, scheduled for Tuesday, May 20, which will be the first official trip of the new pope. Its objective will be to commemorate the 1,700 years of the Council of Nicaea, convened in the year 325 by Emperor Constantine I. Although Francis had expressed his intention to make this visit before getting sick, Leo XIV confirmed the continuity of the plan and his intention to meet with Patriarch Bartholomew I, leader of the Orthodox Church. Likewise, the meeting will commemorate the council held in the city of Iznik, in Asia Minor, and will be attended by representatives of various Christian denominations. However, the Holy See has not given more details about the itinerary of Pope Leo XIV, but it is expected that the meeting will serve to strengthen relations between both churches, a line that had already been promoted by his predecessor, Pope Francis.

Ukraine Extends Its Invitation and Peru Is Expectant5129

Now, it is also expected that he will visit Ukraine and Peru, these trips could take place in the following months of this year. In this sense, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with whom Leo XIV had a conversation recently, invited the Pontiff to visit his country despite the conflict it faces. For its part, the visit to Peru is expected, where the new Pope lived for about 40 years and served as a missionary; however, the exact date of his return to that South American country has not been announced.

Will Pope Leo Xiv Visit Mexico?5721

On the other hand, the president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, confirmed that her government will send an official letter to Pope Leo XIV with the purpose of inviting him to make a visit to Mexico, on the date that the religious leader considers convenient. During the morning conference from the National Palace, Sheinbaum detailed that the Secretary of the Interior, Rosa Icela Rodríguez, will be in charge of delivering the message to the Vatican.

“The Secretary of the Interior is going to go, from there we are going to deliver a letter to the Vatican. If he can see (the Pope) personally, very well, and if not, in any case a letter will be delivered to invite him to come to Mexico”, said Claudia Sheinbaum. It should be noted that the now Pope has visited Mexico on several occasions. At the time, the convent of Salamanca, in Guanajuato, when he served as Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine, a mandate he held between 2002 and 2013. Similarly, in Guanajuato, he visited Moroleón on several occasions; it is believed that he was in that Mexican region at least four times. In addition to visiting the Pinacoteca de San Agustín in Morelia, Michoacán.

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