Pope Leo XIV arrived in France on Friday for a four-day apostolic visit that will take him from Paris to the Marian shrine of Lourdes and the northeastern city of Metz, with meetings focused on faith, peace, human dignity and some of the major challenges facing Europe and the wider world.
The visit, which runs from September 25 to 28, is the first official papal visit to France in 18 years. Pope Benedict XVI was the last pontiff to make such a journey to the country, visiting Paris and Lourdes in 2008.
Leo left Rome’s Fiumicino Airport on Friday morning and landed at Paris-Orly Airport, beginning a packed programme under the theme, “That the world may have life.”
The Vatican said the theme reflects the Pope’s emphasis on the dignity and value of human life as well as the importance of spiritual renewal.
The Pope’s first day includes a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace, where he will also address government officials, members of civil society and the diplomatic community.
He is also scheduled to visit the headquarters of UNESCO in Paris. His address there is expected to touch on education, culture, environmental protection and artificial intelligence, an issue that has increasingly featured in his public messages.
Later on Friday, Leo will visit the restored Notre-Dame Cathedral, where he is scheduled to celebrate Vespers with bishops, priests, deacons, seminarians and members of religious communities.
He will then travel to the Stade de France in Saint-Denis for a major prayer vigil with young people on Friday night.
The Pope’s visit comes at a significant moment for the Catholic Church in France.
France has undergone major social changes in recent decades, while debates over abortion, assisted dying and secularism have highlighted differences between some French laws and traditional Catholic teaching.
Leo is expected to use his visit to emphasise the protection of human dignity throughout life. France made abortion freedom constitutionally protected in 2024 and has since moved forward with legislation allowing assisted dying under specified conditions.
The Catholic Church in France is also continuing to deal with the consequences of its clerical sexual abuse crisis.
An independent investigation published in 2021 estimated that about 330,000 children were sexually abused by priests, other clergy or people associated with Catholic institutions in France between 1950 and 2020.
During his visit to Lourdes, Pope Leo is scheduled to meet privately with seven survivors of clerical sexual abuse. The meeting is expected to draw particular attention from survivors and campaigners who have called for stronger measures to ensure accountability and prevent future abuse.
Lourdes will form an important part of the Pope’s journey on Saturday.
The town is one of the world’s best-known Catholic pilgrimage destinations and attracts millions of pilgrims, including many people seeking spiritual or physical healing.
Leo will pray at the Grotto of Massabielle, associated with the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to Saint Bernadette Soubirous in 1858. He will also meet French bishops, celebrate Mass, meet sick people and lead the Rosary.
The Pope will return to Paris before travelling on Monday to Metz, near France’s borders with Germany and Luxembourg.
His final day will have a strong European dimension.
Leo is scheduled to participate in an interreligious gathering and address a meeting titled “To the Roots of Europe for Peace and Unity.” Metz has particular symbolic significance because of its connection to Robert Schuman, one of the leading figures behind the development of European integration after the Second World War.
The Pope is expected to use the occasion to discuss peace, European unity and the continent’s responsibility in an international environment marked by war and political divisions.
He will conclude the visit by celebrating Mass at Saint-Étienne Cathedral in Metz before returning to Rome on Monday evening.
The journey is Pope Leo XIV’s fifth international apostolic trip since the beginning of his pontificate and his ninth country visited, according to the Vatican, excluding a pastoral visit to San Marino.
Beyond its religious importance, the four-day visit gives Leo an opportunity to speak directly to one of Europe’s most secular societies while addressing questions extending far beyond the Catholic Church.
From artificial intelligence and Europe’s future to human dignity, peace and the Church’s handling of sexual abuse, the Pope’s messages during the four-day journey are expected to receive attention across Europe and beyond.
