Pope Leo lands in France for four-day visit
Pope Leo arrived in France on Friday, Sept. 25, beginning a four-day journey through Paris, Lourdes and Metz that will feature major speeches and a large outdoor Mass. (HOST BROADCASTER via Reuters.)
Pope Leo XIV began his first official visit to France on Friday, marking his fifth Apostolic Journey as pontiff. It is the first formal papal visit to the country once known as “the eldest daughter of the Church” since Pope Benedict XVI traveled there in September 2008.
French bishops have chosen “That the world may have life” as the theme of the visit. The trip comes as the officially secular nation experiences a surge in adult baptisms. More than 21,000 adults have joined the Catholic Church in France so far this year, according to the Conference of Bishops of France, with people ages 18 to 25 driving much of the increase.
“Pope Leo’s visit to France has sparked a real tidal wave” of interest, retired French Bishop Marc Stenger told Reuters. “French Catholics are… saying loudly that they need the Church to find their way in these uncertain moments in world history.”
The pope will visit Metz on Sept. 28, 2026, to conclude his four-day state and pastoral trip to France, which also includes stops in Paris and Lourdes. (Jean-Christophe Verhaegen / AFP via Getty Images)
The renewed interest follows a 2021 report that found approximately 330,000 French children had suffered abuse by Catholic clergy and lay leaders over seven decades. The report said the Church had displayed “deep, total and even cruel indifference” toward victims. Stenger, who headed the Diocese of Troyes from 1999 to 2020, told Reuters that the scandals “have deeply wounded the Church and damaged its credibility.”
In an unusual step, the Vatican press office said Pope Leo will hold a private meeting in Lourdes with seven abuse survivors, making healing and vulnerability central to the visit.
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The Vatican has described the journey as “a journey that unites faith and public engagement, memory and the future, with listening and bridge-building at its heart.” After French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed him and hosted a courtesy visit at the Élysée Palace on Friday, Pope Leo is expected to deliver 15 speeches. His agenda includes protecting immigrants, the sick and unborn, defending human dignity in the age of artificial intelligence, and addressing peace, culture and unity.
President of France Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron welcome Pope Leo XIV to Élysée Palace on Sept. 25, 2026, in Paris, France. (Tom Nicholson/Getty Images)
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French bishops have said they were surprised by the enthusiasm surrounding the papal visit. The Associated Press reported that organizers preparing for Pope Leo’s Saturday Mass at Paris’ Place de la Concorde, where as many as 1 million people are expected, have expanded the security perimeter. The route now stretches beyond the 1.2-mile Champs-Élysées, where the pope will travel in the Popemobile.
One of the most significant stops will come Sunday at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, among Christianity’s most visited pilgrimage sites and a destination especially associated with the sick. During his final foreign trip in 2004, an ailing Pope John Paul II visited Lourdes and delivered a strong condemnation of abortion and euthanasia.
Pope Leo XIV attends the Welcome Ceremony at Paris Orly International Airport on Sept. 25, 2026, in Paris, France. (Simone Risoluti – Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
Pope Leo’s visit follows France’s recent national debate and the passage of legislation allowing adults with incurable illnesses to receive lethal medication. The measure came after France’s 2024 decision to enshrine abortion as a constitutional right.
On Friday, Pope Leo will address the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, known as UNESCO, at its Paris headquarters. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the pope is likely to renew his call for a slowdown in artificial intelligence development and speak “with regard to the meaning of existence, to what makes human beings human and what does not.”
The address follows the pope’s manifesto in May, when Leo warned about the risks posed by AI and called for international regulation of the industry. His stance again places him at odds with President Trump, who has promoted rapid AI innovation as part of the United States’ effort to compete with and overtake China.
A crucifix stands in front of the Basilique Notre-Dame du Rosaire, its spire draped with a banner marking the upcoming visit of Pope Leo XIV, five days ahead of the pontiff’s trip to the site as part of his apostolic journey to France, in Lourdes on Sept. 22, 2026.
After the UNESCO appearance, Pope Leo will lead a prayer service at the newly restored Cathedral of Notre-Dame. It will be the first papal visit to the cathedral since a 2019 fire nearly destroyed the historic French landmark.
The pope will bring the trip to a close Monday with a symbolic full-day visit to the border city of Metz, the birthplace of former French Prime Minister Robert Schuman, widely regarded as one of the European Union’s founding fathers. The Vatican says Leo will use the setting to “champion friendship among European peoples.”
French Ambassador to the Vatican Charles Personnaz told Reuters that Macron has invited leaders from all 27 EU member states to hear the speech and meet with the pope. Other media reports indicate that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy may also attend.
