Pope gets invitation to visit Peru during a Vatican garden party, then stays for lunch

Peru’s ambassador to the Holy See has publicly invited Pope Leo XIV to visit. The invitation, delivered during a Saturday ceremony in the Vatican gardens, confirms that 2026 is shaping up to be an important year of travel for the pope with big trips under study for Africa and South America. In recent days, the president of Equatorial Guinea and the Vatican ambassador in Angola have both confirmed that plans are underway for a papal trip this year. That's on top of rumored stops in Cameroon and Algeria. No dates have been announced but Vatican officials say the four-country Africa visit is likely to take place sometime after Easter.