Papal airplane interview touches on conclave, secret peace talks, travel plans

December 02, 2025

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CWN Editor's Note: In an informal question-and-answer session with reporters who accompanied him on his return flight to Rome from Beirut on December 2, Pope Leo XIV:

• Told about his reaction when, during the papal conclave, he realized that he would be elected: “I took a deep breath. I said, ‘Here we go, Lord. You’re in charge and you lead the way.”
• Hinted that the Vatican is engaged in secret talks with Hezbollah, hoping to promote peace in Lebanon. “Our work is not something we announce publicly,” he said.
• Discouraged US military intervention in Venezuela. “I believe it’s better to look for ways of dialogue, perhaps pressure—including economic pressure,” he recommended.
• Disclosed that he hopes to visit Africa in 2026, with a particular interest in traveling to Algeria, where St. Augustine served as Bishop of Hippo. He also expressed interest in traveling to South America, possibly visiting Peru, where he had served as bishop, and Argentina. (Oddly, Pope Francis, a native of Argentina, never visited that country as Pontiff.)
• Urged the people of Europe and North America to be “a little less fearful” of Muslim immigration.

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