Aboard the papal plane returning to Rome after his visit to Lebanon, Pope Leo XIV said he hoped his next foreign journey would be to Africa, ideally to Algeria, where he intends to “continue strengthening dialogue and building bridges between the Christian and Muslim worlds”.
Speaking to reporters from international outlets travelling with him, he commented on days of intense engagement in Turkey and Lebanon, and on wider challenges facing the Church, and global diplomacy.
Before answering questions, the Pope thanked the journalists who had covered the visit, telling them, “You too all deserve a big round of applause for this visit.”
Over the next hour, he responded in English, Italian, and Spanish to questions touching on peace efforts, the Middle East, Europe’s tensions with Russia, and the Church’s internal life.
While His Holiness said there was no fixed plan, he repeated his intention to visit Africa. “Personally, I hope to go to Algeria to visit the places of Saint Augustine,” he said.
He described the North African saint as a figure well regarded within Algeria itself, and therefore a meaningful starting point for efforts to deepen Christian-Muslim friendship.
Other countries might follow, he said, although preparations were ongoing.
Asked about contacts with political leaders in the Middle East, the Pope said that during the days in Lebanon he had held private meetings unseen by cameras or crowds.
“During this journey, I also had personal encounters with representatives of different groups who represent political authorities, people, or groups who have something to do with internal conflicts or even international conflicts in the region,” he said. “Our work is not primarily public, something proclaimed in the streets. It is more behind the scenes.”
He said he had seen a message sent to him by Hezbollah before the visit, adding only, “On the part of the Church, there is the proposal that they lay down their arms and that we seek dialogue. Beyond this, I prefer not to comment at this time.”
On Russia and Ukraine, the Pope said the Vatican was not directly involved in negotiations. “The Holy See does not have a direct involvement, because we are not members of NATO, nor of any of the talks so far,” he said, “and although we have called for a ceasefire, for dialogue, and not war, we are not part of the negotiations themselves.”
He noted the importance of Europe’s role in any settlement. “Europe’s presence is important,” he said, adding that Italy “could be very important” as a mediator. He said the Holy See might encourage such mediation.
On the German Synodal Way, he noted differences between the process in Germany and the global synod of the wider Church.
“I am aware that many Catholics in Germany believe that certain aspects … do not represent their hope for the Church,” he said and called for “further dialogue and listening within Germany itself.”
Pope Leo’s in-flight remarks show leadership that many world leaders fail to present.
As the Episcopal leader of the universal Church, it is the papacy that attempts to carry out its mission in a fractured world.
Many on both sides of the political divide fail to comprehend that the Pope is not merely a commentator on global events, but the Vicar of Christ, whose office carries spiritual authority, and temporal power that cannot be avoided.
The nature of the Pope’s office confirms that he is consciously reclaiming this preconciliar understanding of the papal role: a shepherd above nations, not neutral, not partisan, but bound to act for peace because his office requires it.
In the final section of the plane interview, the Pope said, “A year or two ago, I also thought that I would one day retire,” adding, “One simply gives his life to the Lord and allows the Lord to guide him.”
The contrast with a political world governed by calculation rather than trust was implicit and plain.
The Pope’s emphasis on dialogue, disarmament, and mediation imitates the examples of Benedict XV in the Great War, and Pius XII, whose diplomacy operated quietly, relentlessly, and without crowd or camera.
The Pope’s intention to visit Africa, especially Algeria, forms part of this same pattern. His visit would not simply be pastoral.
It would be a return to a continent that was largely Christian prior to slow Islamic conversion, an environment where the universal Church must witness without fear.
The Pope’s future decisions in Africa will declare whether he intends to begin exercising this office fully. Africa is where the Church suffers, and where it also grows most rapidly.
A Pontiff presenting himself as a global peacemaker must also be willing to stand beside those who pay the price for the faith itself.
It is clear that Pope Leo is quietly revealing how he understands his office. He is the successor of Peter, whose duties have always included the defence of peace when nations falter, and the defence of Christians wherever they are threatened.
His forthcoming choices in Africa shows he intends to remain faithful to that mission.