Leo XIV to visit France in September

Vatican News, OSV News

Pope Leo XIV plans to make an apostolic journey to France from September 25-28 of this year, according to an announcement by the director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni.

The trip comes in response to invitations from the French head of state, the country's ecclesiastical authorities and the director general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), according to the press release.

During his apostolic journey, Pope Leo will visit UNESCO headquarters.

Reactions in France

«Leo XIV is coming to France: it is a great joy, but also a great responsibility!» declared Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline of Marseille, president of the French Episcopal Conference, in a May 16 communiqué. The cardinal noted that the Pope is particularly interested in the situation of the Church in France, both in its challenges and its missionary opportunities. The French Bishops' Conference has also set up a website to share details about the Pope's trip.

The French bishops' conference had confirmed in a May 6 press release that a trip was expected in September, but did not provide exact dates.

Lourdes

During the visit, the French bishops suggested that Pope Leo travel to Paris and to the Marian Shrine of Our Lady of Our Lady of Mount Sinai. Lourdes. As of May 6, logistical preparations for the Pope's visit were well underway in Lourdes. 

«We have drawn up a preliminary program with the presidency of the bishops» conference and with the archdiocese of Paris,« Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of Tarbes and Lourdes told OSV News in early May. »It is planned that the Pope will celebrate a solemn Mass on the lawn of the shrine and preside over the torchlight procession in the evening, before spending the night there, although we are awaiting confirmation from the Vatican.".

«The 320 employees of the Lourdes Shrine are delighted with this prospect,» Bishop Micas added. «But now we need to form larger teams to manage an event of this size and to continue to welcome the pilgrims and the sick who will come on those dates. We must encourage people to come, without being intimidated by the security measures,» he said, adding with excitement, «It will be a great celebration!».

Paris

In Paris, the Pope is expected to visit Notre Dame Cathedral, as well as the Collège des Bernardins, although nothing has yet been officially confirmed. 

Located near Notre Dame, the Collège des Bernardins is a former Cistercian college of the historic University of Paris, dating back to the 13th century, which the Archdiocese of Paris has renovated to serve as a venue for high-level intellectual and cultural gatherings. During his apostolic journey to France in 2008, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Lourdes apparitions, Pope Benedict XIV visited the Collège to address cultural personalities and political leaders.

UNESCO

The Vatican's announcement on May 16 indicated that the Pope would visit the headquarters of the UNESCO, The United Nations, a United Nations agency created in the 1940s to promote collaboration in the reconstruction of education, science and culture in Europe after World War II. As the United Nations grew in membership, its activities expanded to facilitate and complement the national efforts of member states to eradicate illiteracy and poverty, address underdevelopment, and protect countries' natural and cultural heritage. 

Francis' visits to France

Leo XIV and French President Emmanuel Macron met on April 10 for the first time since the pontiff's election to the See of Peter. 

However, it was not the president's first papal audience. Since his election in 2017, President Macron has made several visits to the Vatican, where he was received by Pope Francis in 2018, 2021 and 2022. The two met again in private talks in Marseille in September 2023, at the G7 summit in Borgo Egnazia in June 2024 and then in December 2024 in Ajaccio, France.

The Pope's September visit will take place just before the start of the election campaign for the 2027 spring presidential election, which will end Emmanuel Macron's two consecutive five-year terms as president of the republic.

Pope Francis made three apostolic trips to France: to Strasbourg in 2014, to Marseille in 2023 and to Corsica in December 2024, for specific occasions and for a short period. However, the late pontiff never made an official state visit to the country.