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Pope in Peru

Bishop Robert Francis Prevost was named prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Bishops on Jan. 30, 2023. / Credit: Frayjhonattan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

10 Countries Pope Leo XIV Visited Before Becoming Pope

May 12, 2025

Here are some of the countries the Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV has visited — or where he has been based for pastoral reasons — outside of the U.S. in the last three decades.

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Benjamin Netanyahu, prime minister of Israel, and Pope Leo XIV. / Credit: Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0/Vatican Media

Pope Leo XIV Receives Call from Israel Prime Minister,Netanyahu, after Gaza Church Attack

Fr. Stephen Syambi (left) in South Africa and Fr. Jude Thaddeus (right) during pastoral work. Credit: Fr. Jude Thaddeus/Fr. Stephen Syambi (

“I felt unwanted”: Moving Tales of Catholic Priests Forced Out of South Africa as Foreigners’ Woes Escalate

Archbishop Anthony Muheria of Kenya’s Nyeri Archdiocese. Credit: ACI Africa

“Ruled by fashion, we’ve lost our dignity”: Catholic Archbishop in Kenya Denounces Inappropriate Attire for Christians

Fr. Clement Kwasi Adjei

Official at Conference of Bishops in Ghana Proposes Skills Training for Youths to Tame Imminent Violent Extremism

58th Anniversary celebration of Our Lady of Africa Lubaga Girls' Secondary School in Uganda. Credit: Ugandan Catholics Online

“We are like stray sheep”: Kampala Catholic Archbishop Denounces Homosexuality as Disruption of God’s Plan

Environmentalist Lauds First-Ever SIGNIS World Congress in Africa Organizers for Including Care for Creation in Theme

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Possible pilgrims to the Jubilee of Youth in Rome from the Catholic Diocese of Rumbek/South Sudan. Credit: Sr. Orla Treacy/Loreto Sisters/Rumbek

Youths in South Sudanese Catholic Diocese “anxiously excited” about Jubilee in Rome as Most Africans Face Hurdles

Ahead of Africa’s Catholic Bishops’ Assembly in Rwanda, SECAM Highlights Plenary Purpose, Participants, Vision

Archbishop Michael Francis Crotty. Credit: ACI Africa

Apostolic Nuncio in Nigeria Calls Out Priests Turning the Eucharist, Church Events into Moneymaking Opportunities

Holy Mass at the Holy Family Parish in Gaza, led by the parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli during the Advent season. December 2024. / Courtesy of Father Gabriel Romanelli

Attack on Gaza's Only Catholic Church: Without Warnings by Priest "it would have been a massacre"

Fr. Charlie and CAFOD supporter Mariama at the lobby of Parliament, 9 July 2025. Credit: CAFOD

At Legislators' Meeting in UK, Kenya-based Jesuit Calls for Urgent Action in Addressing Climate Change, Debt Crisis

Bishop Joseph Mary Kizito, the Liaison Bishop for the SACBC Migrants and Refugees Office. Credit: SACBC

Catholic Bishop Links Woes of Migrants in South Africa’s Public Hospitals to U.S. President’s Aid Suspension

Bishop Estanislau Marques Chindekasse of Dundo Diocese in Angola. Credit: Radio Ecclesia

Catholic Bishop in Angola Calls for Evangelization Rooted in Solidarity With People With “no place at table of powerful”

Bishop Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi addresses participants during the Sahel Peace Initiative (SPI) National Forum. Credit: Catholic Trends

“Things are getting worse”: Catholic Bishop in Ghana Demands Radical System Overhaul to Address Youth Unemployment

Credit: ACN

Charity Pledges Continued Support in Forming Future Priests in Nigeria amid Rise in Vocations

Archbishop Anthony Muheria of Kenya’s Nyeri Archdiocese. Credit: ACI Africa

“Ruled by fashion, we’ve lost our dignity”: Catholic Archbishop in Kenya Denounces Inappropriate Attire for Christians

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