Pope Leo XIV arrived in France on Friday for a four-day visit centered on major religious gatherings across the country. The centerpiece of the trip is a Mass scheduled for Saturday afternoon at the Place de la Concorde, where approximately 600,000 Catholic worshippers are anticipated to attend. Police have cordoned off the surrounding area, including portions of the Champs-Élysées and extending toward the Arc de Triomphe, to accommodate the crowds.
President Emmanuel Macron greeted the pontiff at Orly airport and plans to meet with him at the Élysée Palace to discuss geopolitical matters and artificial intelligence. The two are also scheduled to deliver a joint address in Metz. However, Macron will refrain from attending papal Masses to maintain France’s constitutional separation of church and state. His wife Brigitte, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, and several presidential candidates will attend the Champs-Élysées celebration instead.
The papal itinerary includes additional religious events: 80,000 young people are expected at the Stade de France on Friday evening, 150,000 attendees are registered for a Mass in Lourdes on Sunday, and the Pope will visit Metz on Monday. While there, he will honor Robert Schuman, a founding European Union figure and Catholic who is being considered for beatification. The Pope also plans to meet with migrants and survivors of abuse perpetrated by clergy members.
The visit reflects what Church leaders describe as renewed spiritual interest among Europeans, particularly in France. Cardinal François Bustillo noted that while France has undergone significant secularization, there are signs of religious revival, including a doubling of adult baptisms to 10,000 in recent years. Regular Catholic practice has declined substantially from 35 percent of the population in 1960 to under 5 percent today, while the priesthood has contracted by two-thirds since 1990.
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