French cardinal present during the Pope's trip to Spain<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAccompanied by several bishops from the Permanent Council of the French Bishops' Conference, Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline of Marseille traveled to Barcelona on June 10 to participate in the Pope's visit to Spain<\/a>, which included a Mass and the dedication of the Tower of Jesus Christ at the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cAs the images show, the Spanish people are experiencing this visit with immense joy and deep fervor,\u201d Cardinal Aveline wrote in a statement on June 9. \u201cAnd we firmly believe that we must actively prepare to welcome the Pope to France.\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the Archbishop of Marseille, the next trip<\/a>, announced on May 6, is \u201ca grace that God wishes to bestow upon France and our Church,\u201d and several official events have already been scheduled. <\/p>\n\n\n\nThe cardinal, who is currently president of the French Bishops\u201c Conference, stated that he had invited Pope Leo to visit the country \u201dfrom the very beginning of his pontificate.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t hard to convince him, given his deep regard for our country, its role in the world, its rich spiritual history, and its missionary zeal,\u201d added the president of the French Bishops\u2019 Conference. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBack in April, I began working with him on the draft itinerary for this apostolic trip to France and his visit to UNESCO headquarters,\u201d said Cardinal Aveline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.omnesmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260507T0923-FRANCE-POPE-LEO-TRIP-1819485-1024x935.jpg\")
The facade of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on December 7, 2024, the day of the reopening ceremony (Photo by OSV News\/Ludovic Marin\/Reuters).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe Pope will visit Notre Dame Cathedral, UNESCO headquarters, and Lourdes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nIt is a much-anticipated moment. Pope Leo XIV will visit the recently renovated Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on September 29, where he will celebrate Vespers. Priests, deacons and their spouses, as well as consecrated persons, men and women religious, and seminarians from all over France are invited to attend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Pope will also visit UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, located near the Eiffel Tower. This year, the organization is celebrating the 80th anniversary of its first session in Paris, which took place in late 1946, following the signing of its founding charter a year earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That same evening, the Pope will take part in a large prayer vigil with French youth, likely in central Paris. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Saturday, September 26, he will celebrate a solemn outdoor Mass in Paris, at a location that has not yet been confirmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pope Leo XIV will then travel to the Marian shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in southwestern France, at the foot of the Pyrenees. He will celebrate Sunday Mass on September 27 on the meadow in front of the grotto where the Virgin Mary he showed up<\/a> to Saint Bernadette in 1858.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.omnesmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/BasilicaNuestraSenoradeLourdesOK-1024x713.jpg\")
Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Lourdes (France). (Roland Garr\u00e9, Wikimedia Commons).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nMass at the medieval cathedral in Metz <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAfter Lourdes, the Pope's trip<\/a> will conclude with a stop focused on European identity. On Monday, September 28, he will travel to Metz, in northeastern France, to celebrate Mass at the medieval Cathedral of Saint-\u00c9tienne.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMetz is located in the French department of Moselle, part of the historic region of Lorraine and the place where Saint Joan of Arc lived in the 15th century. This part of Lorraine, along with the region of Alsace, was annexed by the German Empire between 1871 and 1918, which fueled conflicts between France and Germany during the two world wars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since then, Metz has been a city deeply associated with Franco-German reconciliation. Near Metz lies the small town of Scy-Chazelles<\/a> , where Robert Schuman, one of the founding fathers of the European Union, is buried. A French statesman with both German and French cultural roots, Schuman devoted much of his career to reconciliation after World War II.<\/p>\n\n\n\nRobert Schuman, buried near Metz<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe \u201cSchuman Declaration,\u201d published in Paris on May 9, 1950, when its namesake was serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs, is considered the founding document of European integration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Schuman was a devout Catholic who attended Mass daily and prayed the Liturgy of the Hours. He was declared Venerable by Pope Francis on June 19, 2021. Pope Leo XIV could draw inspiration from his example as a Christian committed to peace and the common good to foster a renewed sense of purpose in Europe, echoing the message he conveyed to the Spanish Parliament on June 8.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Holy See is expected to finalize the itinerary for the Pope's trip to France in the coming weeks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I might visit a large palliative care center: to be confirmed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAccording to diplomatic sources, the Pope may visit the Jeanne Garnier Medical Center in Paris, the largest and most prestigious palliative care center in France and Europe. This visit could be significant in a country currently embroiled in intense debates over a proposed bill euthanasia<\/a>. However, the visit to the center has not yet been confirmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFounded in the 19th century by Jeanne Garnier, a devout Christian woman, the clinic was a pioneer in palliative care. It received a new boost in 1996 thanks to Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger of Paris, a Catholic cardinal of Jewish descent who was admired by Saint John Paul II.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs the images show, the Spanish people are experiencing this visit with immense joy and deep fervor,\u201d Cardinal Aveline wrote in a statement on June 9. \u201cAnd we firmly believe that we must actively prepare to welcome the Pope to France.\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the Archbishop of Marseille, the next trip<\/a>, announced on May 6, is \u201ca grace that God wishes to bestow upon France and our Church,\u201d and several official events have already been scheduled. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The cardinal, who is currently president of the French Bishops\u201c Conference, stated that he had invited Pope Leo to visit the country \u201dfrom the very beginning of his pontificate.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t hard to convince him, given his deep regard for our country, its role in the world, its rich spiritual history, and its missionary zeal,\u201d added the president of the French Bishops\u2019 Conference. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBack in April, I began working with him on the draft itinerary for this apostolic trip to France and his visit to UNESCO headquarters,\u201d said Cardinal Aveline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is a much-anticipated moment. Pope Leo XIV will visit the recently renovated Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on September 29, where he will celebrate Vespers. Priests, deacons and their spouses, as well as consecrated persons, men and women religious, and seminarians from all over France are invited to attend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Pope will also visit UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, located near the Eiffel Tower. This year, the organization is celebrating the 80th anniversary of its first session in Paris, which took place in late 1946, following the signing of its founding charter a year earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That same evening, the Pope will take part in a large prayer vigil with French youth, likely in central Paris. <\/p>\n\n\n\n On Saturday, September 26, he will celebrate a solemn outdoor Mass in Paris, at a location that has not yet been confirmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pope Leo XIV will then travel to the Marian shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in southwestern France, at the foot of the Pyrenees. He will celebrate Sunday Mass on September 27 on the meadow in front of the grotto where the Virgin Mary he showed up<\/a> to Saint Bernadette in 1858.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After Lourdes, the Pope's trip<\/a> will conclude with a stop focused on European identity. On Monday, September 28, he will travel to Metz, in northeastern France, to celebrate Mass at the medieval Cathedral of Saint-\u00c9tienne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Metz is located in the French department of Moselle, part of the historic region of Lorraine and the place where Saint Joan of Arc lived in the 15th century. This part of Lorraine, along with the region of Alsace, was annexed by the German Empire between 1871 and 1918, which fueled conflicts between France and Germany during the two world wars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since then, Metz has been a city deeply associated with Franco-German reconciliation. Near Metz lies the small town of Scy-Chazelles<\/a> , where Robert Schuman, one of the founding fathers of the European Union, is buried. A French statesman with both German and French cultural roots, Schuman devoted much of his career to reconciliation after World War II.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The \u201cSchuman Declaration,\u201d published in Paris on May 9, 1950, when its namesake was serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs, is considered the founding document of European integration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Schuman was a devout Catholic who attended Mass daily and prayed the Liturgy of the Hours. He was declared Venerable by Pope Francis on June 19, 2021. Pope Leo XIV could draw inspiration from his example as a Christian committed to peace and the common good to foster a renewed sense of purpose in Europe, echoing the message he conveyed to the Spanish Parliament on June 8.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Holy See is expected to finalize the itinerary for the Pope's trip to France in the coming weeks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n According to diplomatic sources, the Pope may visit the Jeanne Garnier Medical Center in Paris, the largest and most prestigious palliative care center in France and Europe. This visit could be significant in a country currently embroiled in intense debates over a proposed bill euthanasia<\/a>. However, the visit to the center has not yet been confirmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Founded in the 19th century by Jeanne Garnier, a devout Christian woman, the clinic was a pioneer in palliative care. It received a new boost in 1996 thanks to Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger of Paris, a Catholic cardinal of Jewish descent who was admired by Saint John Paul II.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Pope will visit Notre Dame Cathedral, UNESCO headquarters, and Lourdes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Mass at the medieval cathedral in Metz <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Robert Schuman, buried near Metz<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
I might visit a large palliative care center: to be confirmed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n