Portugal’s President, António José Seguro, arrived in Rome on Wednesday, September 23, for a two-day official visit to the Holy See, with an audience with Pope Leo XIV scheduled for Thursday, September 24, at 9:00 a.m. local time at the Vatican.
The Portuguese Presidency confirms that the official visit program also includes talks with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, as well as visits to the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica.
A central purpose of the meeting is to renew Portugal’s formal invitation for Pope Leo XIV to visit the country in 2027. Speaking after arriving in Rome, President Seguro said he came with “enormous expectation” to meet the Pope and would convey to him “the friendship of the Portuguese” and renew the invitation for next year.
The invitation was originally extended by President Seguro in May and is linked to three important anniversaries in 2027, namely the 500th anniversary of the formal establishment of the Apostolic Nunciature in Portugal, the 110th anniversary of the Apparitions of Our Lady of Fátima, and the 10th anniversary of the canonization of the shepherd children Francisco and Jacinta Marto.
The possibility of a papal visit was considered during Former President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s official visit to the Vatican in 2027, during his final presidential audience with the Pope in February. In addition, Portugal’s Catholic bishops renewed the invitation during an audience at the Vatican last August. Yet, no papal visit to Portugal in 2027 has been officially confirmed.
President Seguro began his Rome program Wednesday with a visit to the historic Church of Saint Anthony of the Portuguese, traditionally associated with Portugal and Portuguese pilgrims in Rome. On Thursday, following his Vatican meetings, he is scheduled to inaugurate “Encontro” (“Encounter”), a work by renowned Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza Vieira, in the Vatican Gardens, before returning to Portugal later in the day.
The visit also has a diplomatic dimension. President Seguro has described relations between Portugal and the Holy See as characterized by institutional dialogue, mutual respect and historic cooperation. He has said a visit by Leo XIV would be an opportunity to deepen those ties.
António José Seguro was born in Penamacor, Portugal, in 1962. A longtime Portuguese career politician, he was elected Portugal’s 21st President of the Republic in 2026, succeeding Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. A member of the Socialist Party for much of his political career, President Seguro served in the Portuguese Parliament and the European Parliament, and was Secretary of State and Secretary-General of the Socialist Party from 2011 to 2014.
PAJ/Staff/ This developing story will be updated
