France is preparing to officially welcome Pope Leo XIV for his first visit in 18 years. Plans include a major Mass ceremony in central Paris along with discussions on several important issues related to society and the Church.
On 23 September 2026, international news agencies reported that France is rushing preparations to host Pope Leo XIV’s official visit—the first in 18 years. The Pope will stay for four days starting this Friday, amid arrangements for a large outdoor Mass ceremony in Paris.
A large white canopy is currently being installed at Place de la Concorde to serve as the altar for the Pope’s ceremony. The Mass will be held at the square and along the Champs-Élysées over the weekend, with about 600,000 registered participants so far.
This visit is a significant mission for the first American Pope, whose paternal grandfather was born in France. He is scheduled to discuss several critical issues, including clerical sexual abuse, the dangers posed by artificial intelligence, the migrant crisis, and peace in Europe.
Reports indicate that French President Emmanuel Macron will welcome the Pope at the Élysée Palace. Afterwards, the Pope will visit UNESCO headquarters and Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, which suffered severe damage in a 2019 fire, before holding a prayer service with tens of thousands of Catholic youth aged 17 to 35 at an outdoor stadium near Paris in the evening.
On Saturday, the Pope will meet with migrants before celebrating a major Mass at Place de la Concorde in the afternoon. On Sunday, he will travel to Lourdes in southwestern France. Monday, the final day of the visit, will take him to Metz in northeastern France near the German border, where he will conduct another Mass. He will also meet representatives of France’s main religions—Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism, Islam, Orthodox Christianity, and Buddhism—to sign a peace declaration.
Pope John Paul II visited France eight times between 1980 and 2004, while Pope Benedict XVI made one official visit in September 2008. Pope Francis has visited France three times—in Strasbourg, Marseille, and Corsica—but none of those visits were at the state level.
Source: AFP