Q COSTA RICA — Pope Leo XIV received Costa Rican President Laura Fernández in a private audience at the Vatican this Thursday morning, October 29, where she formally invited him to visit Costa Rica in 2027.
Fernández presented the Pope with an official letter, a replica of the country’s revered image of the Virgin of the Angels, and coffee produced by Costa Rican growers.
The proposed timing carries symbolic weight. The visit would coincide with the 203rd anniversary of the Virgin of the Angels’ proclamation as Costa Rica’s national patron and the 180th anniversary of constitutional recognition of Catholicism as the state religion.
In her letter, Fernández also emphasized Costa Rica’s identity as Latin America’s only confessional state and its pacifist tradition, established after the abolition of its army in 1948.
The invitation is more than a ceremonial gesture.
Fernández’s government says it will coordinate with the Vatican’s Secretariat of State and the Apostolic Nunciature to work toward arranging the pastoral visit. The report does not indicate that the Pope has accepted or that dates have been set.
The audience opened the Italian portion of Fernández’s European tour. She was accompanied by her husband, Jeffry Umaña, and the Costa Rican delegation was received by Costa Rica’s ambassador to the Holy See, Federico Zamora Cordero.
Fernández is also scheduled to meet Italian President Sergio Mattarella in Rome,
While her initial agenda highlighted a bilateral meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella in Rome, with discussions expected to cover cooperation in areas including education, culture, politics and technical exchange, official confirmation indicates she is also scheduling a working meeting with her counterpart, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The discussions with the Italian Prime Minister are expected to touch heavily on international relations, as local strategists have previously drawn comparisons between the two leaders’ conservative governance styles.
For clarity, Prime Minister Meloni leads Italy’s government and oversees its day-to-day work. President Mattarella represents national unity and serves mainly in a ceremonial role, though he possesses the power to appoint the prime minister and dissolve parliament.
Faith diplomacy with a practical agenda
The invitation draws on two sources of national identity: Costa Rica’s Catholic tradition and its reputation for rejecting a standing army. By connecting the proposed visit to major religious and constitutional anniversaries, Fernández’s government is giving the invitation a distinctly national frame, rather than presenting it as a routine diplomatic courtesy.
The Vatican meeting also sits within a broader effort to build ties in Europe. Reports have it that Costa Rica hopes to attract investment, expand trade and diversify export markets during the trip. The juxtaposition is telling: the audience with the pope strengthens a relationship rooted in religion and history, while the meeting with Mattarella is intended to advance government-to-government cooperation and commercial contacts.
For now, the clearest outcome is the formal invitation itself. Whether it becomes a visit depends on future Vatican discussions and scheduling. Still, the proposal gives Costa Rica a high-profile diplomatic objective for 2027—and a way to connect its religious heritage with its wider engagement in Europe.
Tour to Continue in Spain with the Ibero-American Summit
Following the conclusion of her engagements in Italy and the Vatican, Laura Fernández will travel to Madrid, Spain, to participate in the XXX Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government, scheduled for November 4 and 5.
The gathering will bring together representatives from various Latin American countries, Spain, and Portugal to address issues related to cooperation and the challenges shared by the region. The agenda also includes meetings with representatives from the Spanish business sector, as part of the activities planned during the visit.
The delegation is scheduled to return to Costa Rica on Friday, November 6, after fulfilling diplomatic commitments in both countries.