Pope Leo XIV arrived in France on Friday to launch his fifth Apostolic Journey as Pontiff, marking the first formal papal visit to the nation once hailed as “the eldest daughter of the Church” since Pope Benedict XVI’s trip in September 2008.
French bishops have announced the visit’s theme as “That the world may have life,” arriving at a time when the officially secular nation is experiencing a notable influx of baptisms. According to the Conference of Bishops of France, more than 21,000 adults have joined the Church so far this year, a surge driven largely by young adults aged 18 to 25.
Retired French Bishop Marc Stenger told Reuters that the Pope’s visit has sparked a “real tidal wave” of interest, noting that French Catholics are loudly expressing their need for the Church to guide them through uncertain moments in world history.
The rise in conversions comes in the wake of a 2021 report revealing that approximately 330,000 French children were abused by Catholic clergy and lay leaders over seven decades, with the Church showing “deep, total and even cruel indifference” to victims. Stenger, who led the Diocese of Troyes from 1999 to 2020, stated that the scandals have deeply wounded the Church and damaged its credibility.
In an unusual move, the Vatican press office announced that Pope Leo will meet privately in Lourdes with seven of these victims as part of a message of healing and vulnerability.
The Vatican describes the trip as “a journey that unites faith and public engagement, memory and the future, with listening and bridge-building at its heart.” Following a greeting by French President Emmanuel Macron and a courtesy visit to the Élysée Palace on Friday, Pope Leo is scheduled to deliver fifteen speeches throughout his visit, addressing themes such as the protection of immigrants, the sick, and unborn children, human dignity in the age of AI, and peace and unity.
French bishops have expressed surprise at the high level of public interest in the visit. Organizers for the Pope’s Saturday Mass at Paris’ Place de la Concorde, anticipating up to one million attendees, have expanded the security perimeter beyond the 1.2-mile length of the Champs-Élysées, where the Pope will parade in the Popemobile.
Among his key stops, Pope Leo will worship and speak on Sunday at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, one of Christianity’s most-visited pilgrimage sites, particularly popular with the sick. This is the location where an ailing Pope John Paul II, on his final foreign trip in 2004, delivered a forceful condemnation of abortion and euthanasia.
The Pope’s visit occurs against the backdrop of France’s recent national debate and subsequent passage of legislation allowing adults with incurable illnesses to receive lethal medication, following the 2024 constitutional enshrinement of abortion rights.
On Friday, Pope Leo is set to speak at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) headquarters in Paris. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni indicated that the Pontiff will likely reiterate his call for an AI slowdown, speaking to “the meaning of existence, to what makes human beings human and what does not.” This speech follows his May manifesto warning of the dangers of AI and advocating for international regulation, putting him at odds with policies encouraging rapid AI innovation.
Following his UNESCO address, the Pope will hold a prayer service at the newly restored Cathedral of Notre-Dame, marking the first papal visit since a devastating fire in 2019 nearly destroyed the landmark. He will conclude his trip on Monday with a symbolic full-day visit to the border city of Metz, the birthplace of former French Prime Minister Robert Schuman, a founding father of the European Union. The Vatican states the Pope will use this setting to champion friendship among European peoples.
French Ambassador to the Vatican Charles Personnaz told Reuters that President Macron has invited leaders from all 27 EU member states to attend the speech and meet with the Pontiff. Other reports suggest that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy may also attend.
