Leo XIV says possible U.S. trip is years away

Pope Leo XIV said a possible trip to the United States was still “next couple of years” away, pushing any homecoming for the first American pope well beyond the immediate calendar. The comment sharpened interest in Robert Francis Prevost, the Chicago-born pontiff elected on May 8, 2025, and in what his first return might mean for U.S. Catholics and the Vatican’s place in American politics and public life.

The timing matters because Leo XIV has become a distinctly American symbol even as he leads a global church. His election set off immediate speculation in Chicago, among U.S. bishops and across the American Catholic hierarchy about when he might come back, and under what circumstances. A private visit would carry a different weight from a papal trip tied to a national church event, a campus appearance or a pastoral stop aimed at migrants, workers or parishes in a divided Catholic landscape.

For now, Vatican planning points the other way. In February 2026, Vatican-linked reporting said there were no plans for Leo XIV to visit the United States in 2026, and the Diocese of Scranton said the Vatican press office confirmed he had no plans for a U.S. trip that year. Coverage around the country’s 250th anniversary in 2026 also said he would not take part in those celebrations, closing off one of the most obvious occasions for a first return.

Leo XIV has nonetheless signaled a personal connection to the country he left behind. In a July 2026 NBC interview, Vatican News said he said he loved America’s “sense of freedom and welcome of all people.” That line will linger if and when a U.S. trip is finally scheduled, because it points to the themes most likely to frame his visit: welcome, civic belonging and the church’s role in a polarized national moment.

The Holy See’s scheduling habits keep the question open. Vatican calendars are typically published only a few weeks at a time, which leaves room for speculation but little certainty. For U.S. Catholics, especially in Chicago, that means the first American pope remains both familiar and distant, a rare Vatican figure whose next steps will be watched closely long before any plane ever lands on American soil.