Pope Leo says he hopes to visit Africa in 2026 as he wraps up his first foreign trip

Pope Leo XIV wrapped up his first international trip as pontiff on Tuesday, leaving Beirut on the papal plane after a six-day tour of Turkey and Lebanon.

But he’s already looking ahead to the next one, saying he hopes to visit Africa in 2026.

Leo singled out Algeria, where he says he would like to see the places from the life of Saint Augustine.

Such a visit would help to "continue the discourse of dialogue and bridge-building between the Christian and the Muslim worlds,” Leo said, as Augustine is still a respected figure in the mainly Muslim country.

Leo, who assumed the papacy in May, belongs to the Augustinian order. It was founded in the 13th century and has nearly 3000 members in 50 countries.

While in Lebanon, Leo praised the country’s history of religious tolerance. He attended an interfaith meeting with the country’s Christian patriarchs and Sunni, Shiite and Druze spiritual leaders.

The Vatican said a trip to Africa could also include Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.

The first US-born pope, Leo also said he would "very much" like to visit "Latin America, Argentina, Uruguay", as well as Peru, where he spent more than 20 years working as a missionary.