APOSTOLIC JOURNEY OF POPE LEO XIV TO FRANCE

From 25 to 28 September 2026, Pope Leo XIV is making an Apostolic Journey to France, bringing together several important dimensions of his ministry: encounter with the Church in France, dialogue with civil society and other religions, attention to those on the margins, engagement with young people, pilgrimage and prayer, and reflection upon Europe’s Christian inheritance and its responsibility for peace.

The journey began in Paris on 25 September, where Pope Leo was welcomed before meeting President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace and addressing representatives of the authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps.

At UNESCO, the Pope’s visit placed particular emphasis upon education, culture and the dignity of the human person. From there, the journey entered the spiritual heart of Paris as Pope Leo celebrated Vespers with bishops, clergy, religious and seminarians at Notre-Dame Cathedral.

The first day concluded at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, where the Pope joined thousands of young people for a prayer vigil. In moving from the institutions of state and international culture to the cathedral and then to an encounter with the young, the opening day reflected the broad pastoral character of the visit.

On 26 September, Pope Leo visited the Maison Bakhita Centre, associated with the welcome and integration of people living in exile, before meeting members of the provincial synodal assembly, catechumens and newly baptised Catholics at the Institut Catholique de Paris.

He then celebrated Mass in the Place de la Concorde, one of the most recognisable public spaces in the French capital, before leaving Paris and travelling south to Lourdes.

His arrival at Tarbes–Lourdes–Pyrénées Airport marked a transition from the public and institutional encounters of Paris to a period of pilgrimage and prayer. At Lourdes, Pope Leo prayed at the Grotto of the Apparitions at Massabielle, a place that for generations has drawn pilgrims from throughout the world.

On 27 September, the Pope’s programme at Lourdes centres particularly upon the pastoral and spiritual life of the Church. He meets the bishops of the French Episcopal Conference, celebrates Mass at the Prairie of the Sanctuary, visits the staff and sick community of Accueil Notre Dame and meets contemplative religious sisters.

The day culminates in one of the most familiar and moving expressions of devotion associated with Lourdes: the Rosary and torchlight procession through the Sanctuary.

On 28 September, the final day of the Apostolic Journey, Pope Leo travels from Lourdes to Metz. There, the programme includes an interreligious meeting and an encounter entitled “To the Roots of Europe for Peace and Unity” at the Robert Schuman Conference Centre.

The choice of Metz and the explicit invocation of Europe’s roots bring the themes of peace, reconciliation and unity into particular focus as the journey approaches its conclusion. Pope Leo is also scheduled to celebrate Mass in the Cathedral of Saint Stephen before departing France and returning to Rome.

Taken as a whole, the journey passes through strikingly different settings: the political world of the Élysée Palace, international dialogue at UNESCO, the restored splendour of Notre-Dame, a stadium filled with young people, the public space of the Place de la Concorde, the Marian sanctuary of Lourdes and finally Metz, where attention turns towards Europe’s inheritance and its future.

Together, these encounters present an Apostolic Journey concerned not simply with visiting places, but with bringing the Church into conversation with faith, culture, human dignity, youth, suffering, peace and the future of Europe.