Overview
- The pope gave a short interview to NBC and Noticias Telemundo at Castel Gandolfo on Wednesday, following a Concert for Peace, and said his team is “looking at the calendar for the next couple of years.”
- Leo said he thinks of himself “more as the pope who happens to be American” and praised America’s “sense of freedom,” “sense of opportunity,” and its history of welcoming immigrants.
- He disclosed elements of his family history on camera, saying his grandparents were immigrants and that his mother’s side included people who were both enslaved and slave owners.
- In Spanish to Telemundo the pope addressed migrants directly, urging them to “have hope” and to seek ways to live in an orderly manner while calling for societies to live in peace.
- Any U.S. visit would require lengthy diplomatic planning and could carry political consequences because of earlier 2026 tensions with President Trump and the Vatican’s usual avoidance of trips during major election years.