Rumors continue to spread about where Pope Leo's first trip will be. While the destination is still unknown, what is known is who will organizing the trip.
It will be this priest from Mexico. His name is José Salas Castañeda, and he works as a diplomat in the Secretariat of State. Pope Leo has appointed him as coordinator of his papal trips. This appointment should not catch this priest by any surprise.
He already helped to organize Pope Francis’s two visits to Hungary, as he was serving in Hungarian nunciature at the time.
In 2021, the Argentinian pope traveled to Budapest to take part in the International Eucharistic Congress. He also visited in April 2023, when he made his apostolic visit to Hungary for three days.
Diplomat Salas will take over from the Indian Cardinal Koovakad, current prefect for Interreligious Dialogue. Cardinal Koovakad was the one responsible for organizing Pope Francis’s visits and was also elevated to cardinal by him.
There have been joyful reactions to this appointment from Mexico. The country’s conference of bishops issued a statement, noting that this choice…
represents an exceptional honor for the Church in Mexico and is a clear sign of the trust that the Holy Father places in our country and in the pastoral capacity of our brothers.
In any case, everything indicates that Pope Leo XIV’s first trip will be Nicaea. It is a visit that was already arranged with Pope Francis. The date proposed by Patriarch Bartholomew is late November.
Almost all heads of state have invited the Pope to visit their countries. Javier Milei did so when he was at the Vatican. The king and the queen of Spain invited him during the pontificate opening Mass. The Vice President of the United States also invited Pope Leo when they met.
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