As French bishops fight against time to organise Pope Leo XIV’s visit to the country, they stress the apostolic trip will be a “very significant moment” for Catholics in France and beyond. Source: OSV News.
On Tuesday, the president of the French bishops’ conference provided details regarding the September 25-28 papal visit to France.
“His visit is being organised on an extremely tight schedule, but we were pressed for time due to the upcoming presidential elections in 2027,” Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline explained at the headquarters of the bishops’ conference in Paris.
The motto of the Pope’s visit, “That the world may have life”, will be visible in papal appeals to respect the dignity of every person’s life that, organisers say, will be at the heart of Pope Leo’s message.
“His visit will be a very significant moment for Catholics in France, but not only for them,” Cardinal Aveline said. “The Pope’s words will reach beyond Catholics alone, and beyond our country alone,” he stressed,
Upon his arrival on September 25, the Pope will go to the Élysée Palace to meet with President Emmanuel Macron. In the early afternoon, he will visit the UNESCO headquarters, near the Eiffel Tower, and speak about the protection of young people in the age of new technologies and artificial intelligence.
The Pope will then travel through downtown Paris in the Popemobile and will celebrate vespers at Notre Dame Cathedral.
In the evening, the Pope will travel to the iconic venue for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games – Stade de France in Saint-Denis – where he will take part in a prayer vigil bringing together more than 80,000 young people.
On September 26, the Pope will visit a refugee centre, the Catholic Institute of Paris and celebrate an open-air Mass for nearly 500,000 people at the Place de la Concorde and the Avenue des Champs-Élysées.
Pope Leo will fly south to pray at Lourdes where on September 27, he will celebrate Sunday morning Mass. In the evening, he will preside over the Marian torchlight procession, praying the Rosary.
Among the scheduled meetings, the Pope will speak personally with seven victims of sexual abuse within the Church. The bishops also confirmed the meeting with survivors will take place in Lourdes.
On September 28, the Pope will fly to the city of Metz, in northeastern France, where he will celebrate Mass for 12,000 people, spread out between the Saint-Étienne Cathedral and its surroundings.
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French bishops: Papal visit will be a ‘significant moment’ for France, Europe and world (By Caroline de Sury, OSV News)
