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Pope Leo XIV is set to visit Sydney in the first papal tour of Australia in two decades.
The world's first modern English-speaking pope has accepted an invitation from Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to attend the 54th International Eucharistic Congress in Sydney in 2028.
The visit is expected to take place over the long weekend in October 2028 and attract thousands of Catholics from around the globe.
The Pope is expected to address half a million worshippers at a Sunday mass at Royal Randwick.
It's unknown at this stage whether he will visit other Australian cities as part of the visit.
'The expectation is that we will get a papal visit in 2028, which we're all very excited about,' a Catholic source told the Daily Telegraph.
'Every priest from across Sydney will attend, just like 2008 (when Pope Benedict visited) and every priest in attendance will help deliver communion … They'll each serve between 200 and 300 members of the congregation.'
Pope Benedict XVI was the last pope to visit Australia for World Youth Day in Sydney in 2008, where he addressed more than 400,000 worshippers at Royal Randwick.
Pope Leo XIV is set to visit Sydney in 2028
The news follows an invitation from Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (pictured meeting Pope Leo XIV last May)
Albanese travelled to the Vatican for Pope Leo's inauguration mass last May.
Albanese met with the Pope and lobbied for his visit alongside Australia's ambassador to the Holy See, former federal minister and Nationals MP Keith Pitt.
'He's been to Australia a number of times ... and I was reminded again this morning by an Archbishop that apparently he loves Tim Tams,' Mr Pitt told Sky News at the time.
Held every four years, Australia will host the International Eucharistic Congress for the first time since 1973, when it was held in Melbourne.
The event will mark 100 years since the congress was last held in Sydney.
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