During an official audience at the Vatican, Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé extended a formal invitation to Pope Leo XIV to visit Haiti, following a surprising revelation regarding the Pontiff’s family history. Speaking exclusively to Le Nouvelliste on Saturday, May 9, 2026, Fils-Aimé shared that the Pope revealed his grandfather was born in Haiti. “The Pope told me that his grandfather was born in Haiti. I took this opportunity to invite him to visit the country of his grandfather, the country of his ancestors. He smiled and replied that it is something that will be considered,” Fils-Aimé stated.
The Prime Minister described the meetings with Pope Leo XIV and Cardinal Pietro Parolin as “extremely interesting,” focusing on the current socio-political situation in Haiti and the specific support the Catholic Church can provide to the Haitian people. Fils-Aimé emphasized that he places great value on the support of the Pope as a global moral authority during Haiti’s difficult transition.
If the visit takes place, it would be a landmark event; the only other Pope to visit Haiti was John Paul II on March 9, 1983. During that visit, John Paul II famously declared that “something must change here” while meeting with the local population, including descendants of Polish soldiers who had settled in Haiti since the War of Independence. This new ancestral connection between the current Pope and Haiti adds a deeply personal dimension to the diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the Caribbean nation.
