On 25 September 2026, Pope Leo XIV paid an official visit to UNESCO at the invitation of the Organisation’s Director-General, Khaled El-Enany. During this visit, the Pope delivered a solemn address before the entire international community and the UNESCO family. This was the first visit of its kind in over 40 years, following the historic address delivered by Pope John Paul II at UNESCO in 1980.
A delegation from the ‘United States of the World’, led by Secretary-General Michele Capasso, attended the meeting.
“Our organisation,” said Secretary-General Capasso, “has always had strong ties with UNESCO: this is evidenced by the visits of Directors-General to our headquarters in Naples, including Director-General Irina Bokova. The presence of Pope Leo XIV demonstrates the Vatican’s focus on the major issues of today: artificial intelligence, young people, peace and interfaith dialogue.”