Pope Léon XIV Begins Historic Four-Day Visit to France with Presidential Welcome and Major Paris Events

Pope Léon XIV arrived in France on Friday, September 25, 2026, marking the start of a significant four-day visit that will take him through Paris, Lourdes, and Metz. His arrival at Orly Airport was warmly greeted by President Emmanuel Macron and a group of young people, symbolizing the importance of the visit to both the Catholic faithful and the French Republic. Church bells rang for seven minutes to mark the occasion.

The Pope, 71, whose grandmother emigrated from France to the United States, is making his first official visit to France in 18 years, and it carries substantial symbolic and political weight amid contemporary debates concerning secularism, abortion rights, and euthanasia laws in France. Despite these tensions, the visit seeks to restore the Church's image and address issues such as the legacy of sexual abuse within the clergy.

In Paris, the Pope's busy first-day itinerary includes a meeting with President Macron at the Élysée Palace, followed by a keynote speech at UNESCO focusing on pressing issues like artificial intelligence regulation, migration, and human dignity. Later, he will lead a unique public procession from Notre-Dame-des-Champs to the Notre-Dame Cathedral, where he will celebrate vespers—the first papal visit to the cathedral since its reopening in December 2024 after the devastating 2019 fire.

The visit features substantial security measures, with 17,000 volunteers and 15,000 police deployed to ensure safety. Authorities anticipate attracting around one million participants in Paris alone, culminating in a massive prayer vigil at the Stade de France attended by 80,000 young people. Additional key events include a large mass at Place de la Concorde, expected to gather 600,000 attendees.

Pope Léon XIV will use this visit to emphasize peace and human responsibility amidst technological change, according to Mgr Roberto Campisi of the Holy See. His program also includes meetings that highlight migration and encounters with victims of sexual violence in Lourdes. The final leg in Metz includes a diplomatic address on Europe’s unity and peace, combined with a mass featuring leaders from 26 EU nations.

President Emmanuel Macron expressed joy and honor in welcoming the Pope, acknowledging the significance of this historic visit for the French Republic. While Macron attends official meetings, he will not attend papal masses, respecting France's secular tradition.

This visit underscores the evolving presence of the Catholic Church in a secular France, where the Church sees a decline in regular attendance but an increase in youth baptisms, indicating a complex religious landscape. Pope Léon XIV's visit serves both spiritual and diplomatic functions, aiming to foster peace, dialogue, and reflection across France and Europe.