Pope Leo XIV will visit Mexico twice, according to statements by the president of the Mexican Bishops’ Conference. The dates will be as follows

(ZENIT News / México City, 10.08.2026).- Pope Leo XIV could visit Mexico in 2027 and return four years later for the 500th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe, according to Bishop Ramón Castro Castro, president of the Mexican Bishops’ Conference. Neither trip has been confirmed by the Holy See, but the possibility reflects the growing importance of the Guadalupe jubilee in the Mexican Church’s pastoral plans and its ambitions for a wider spiritual renewal across the Americas.

In an interview with the Mexican Catholic outlet Red Católica, Castro said the bishops were considering two potential visits: one in 2027 and another in 2031, when Mexico will mark five centuries since the Guadalupe event that holds a central place in the country’s religious identity. He stressed, however, that any decision rests with the Vatican and will depend on the Pope’s health, the Holy See’s priorities and other possible demands on his schedule.

The Mexican bishops have already formally invited Leo to visit. On August 6, following the visit to Mexico of Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, the conference issued a statement thanking him and renewing its appeal for a papal journey. The bishops said they hoped the Pope would encourage the country to pursue reconciliation and peace as it prepares for the anniversary.

A visit had reportedly been hoped for as early as September 2025. Castro said Leo had wanted to come to Mexico, celebrate at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and entrust his ministry to the Virgin. The plan was tied to the Pope’s anticipated participation in the United Nations General Assembly in the United States, but that engagement did not take place, and the Mexican leg was consequently abandoned.

A trip before the end of 2026 appears difficult because Leo already has visits to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru on his schedule for the final part of the year. That leaves 2027 as a possible opportunity before the much larger commemorative moment planned for 2031.

The significance of the proposed visits extends beyond the presence of the Pope himself. Mexico’s bishops began preparing for the Guadalupe anniversary in 2022 through the Intercontinental Guadalupe Novena, a nine-year initiative intended to reach far beyond the country’s borders. Its organizers have involved communities in Latin America, Canada, the Philippines and Spain, with the Latin American bishops’ council also participating.

One of the initiative’s most visible elements is the circulation of faithful reproductions of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, traditionally associated with the image on the cloak, or tilma, of Saint Juan Diego. Across Mexico, these images are being taken to parishes in dioceses throughout the country. The bishops have also prepared catechetical materials to help communities turn the anniversary preparations into a sustained process of religious formation rather than a single celebratory event.

The effort has crossed the border into the United States, where another 200 reproductions have been sent for distribution among dioceses. Castro described the response there as marked by enormous enthusiasm, suggesting that Guadalupe’s appeal is not confined to Mexican territory or to people living in Mexico.

Castro expressed confidence that the initiative would bear fruit beyond what its organizers can currently foresee, describing Mary of Guadalupe as the mother of the entire American continent. A papal visit in 2027 could give fresh momentum to that preparation, while a return in 2031 would place Leo at the heart of the anniversary itself.

For now, both journeys remain possibilities rather than plans. Their realization will depend on decisions made in Rome. But the preparations already under way show that the Mexican bishops are treating the five-hundredth anniversary not merely as a historic milestone, but as an opportunity to renew devotion, strengthen catechesis and deepen the bonds connecting Catholic communities across the Americas.

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