PARIS (OSV News) — As Pope Leo XIV makes a triumphant papal return to Spain — where crowds have been eager to listen to his words after 15 years without an apostolic visit — the French bishops’ conference released additional details regarding the pope’s Sept. 25-28 visit to France, hoping the atmosphere will match the joy across Spain.
The pope will pray vespers at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, marking the first papal visit since the cathedral was reopened Dec. 8, 2024, following renovations after a tragic 2019 fire.
French cardinal present during pope’s Spain visit
Accompanied by several bishops from the permanent council of the French bishops’ conference, Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline of Marseille traveled to Barcelona on June 10 to participate in the pope’s visit to Spain, including a Mass and inauguration of the Tower of Jesus Christ of Sagrada Familia basilica.
“As the images show, the Spanish people are experiencing this visit with immense joy and profound fervor,” Cardinal Aveline wrote in a June 9 statement. “And we feel strongly that we must actively prepare to welcome the Pope to France.”
For the archbishop of Marseille, the upcoming trip, announced May 6, is “a grace that God wishes to bestow upon France and our Church,” and several official engagements have already been scheduled.
The cardinal said he had invited Pope Leo to visit the country “from the very beginning of his pontificate.”
“He was not difficult to convince, so great is his esteem for our country, for its role in the world, for its rich spiritual history, and for its missionary zeal,” the president of the French bishops’ conference added.
“As early as April, I began working with him on the draft program for this apostolic journey to France and his visit to UNESCO headquarters,” Cardinal Aveline said.
Pope will visit Notre Dame Cathedral, UNESCO headquarters, Lourdes
In a highly anticipated moment, Pope Leo will visit the recently renovated Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Sept. 29, where he will celebrate vespers. Priests, deacons and their spouses, as well as consecrated persons, men and women religious, as well as seminarians from across France are invited to attend.
The pope will also pay a visit to UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, located near the Eiffel Tower. This year, the organization celebrates the 80th anniversary of its first session in Paris, which took place in late 1946 following the signing of its founding charter a year earlier.
Later that evening, the pope will take part in a large prayer vigil with the youth of France, likely in the heart of Paris.
On Saturday, Sept. 26, he will celebrate a solemn outdoor Mass in Paris, at a location that has yet to be confirmed.
Pope Leo will then depart for the Marian Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in southwestern France, at the foot of the Pyrenees. He will celebrate Sunday Mass Sept. 27, on the meadow facing the grotto where the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Bernadette in 1858.
Mass at medieval cathedral in Metz on itinerary
After Lourdes, the pope’s journey will conclude with a stop focused on European identity. On Monday, Sept. 28, he will travel to Metz, in northeastern France, to celebrate Mass in the medieval Cathedral of Saint-Étienne.
Metz is located in the French department of Moselle, part of the historic Lorraine region and the 15th-century home of St. Joan of Arc. This part of Lorraine, along with the Alsace region, was annexed by the German Empire between 1871 and 1918, fueling conflicts between France and Germany during both world wars.
Since then, Metz has been a city deeply associated with Franco-German reconciliation. Near Metz lies the small town of Scy-Chazelles, where Robert Schuman, one of the founding fathers of the European Union, is buried. A French statesman with both German and French cultural roots, Schuman devoted much of his career to post-World War II reconciliation.
The “Schuman Declaration,” published in Paris on May 9, 1950, while the document’s namesake served as Minister of Foreign Affairs, is considered the founding text of European integration.
Schuman was a devout Catholic who attended Mass daily and prayed the Liturgy of the Hours. He was declared venerable by Pope Francis on June 19, 2021. Pope Leo could draw on his example as a Christian committed to peace and the common good to encourage a renewed sense of purpose for Europe — echoing a message he delivered to the Spanish parliament June 8.
The schedule for the pope’s trip to France is expected to be finalized by the Holy See in the coming weeks.
Pope’s schedule to be confirmed
According to diplomatic sources, the pope may visit the Jeanne Garnier Medical Center in Paris, the largest and best-known palliative care facility in France and Europe. A potential could make a meaningful stop in a country currently engaged in intense debates over an “assisted dying” bill. Nevertheless, the visit to the facility is unconfirmed.
Founded in the 19th century by Jeanne Garnier, a devout Christian woman, the clinic was a pioneer in palliative care. It received a new impetus in 1996 from Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger of Paris, a Catholic cardinal of Jewish heritage admired by St. John Paul II.
Despite strong opposition from the French Senate, a new law on “assisted dying” — which the French bishops campaign fiercely against — could open the door to making euthanasia accessible if passed by the French National Assembly in July.
Meanwhile, an organizing committee led by Bishop Benoît Bertrand of Pontoise was established in France to coordinate logistical preparations for the papal visit.
For Cardinal Aveline, the most important aspect of the upcoming visit is its “spiritual” nature.
“Above all, we must prepare ourselves to receive the grace that God wishes to bestow upon France and our Church,” he insisted.
“Through our inner openness and our missionary boldness, let us prepare ourselves to cooperate in the work that the Holy Spirit will accomplish in our hearts during the visit,” Cardinal Aveline wrote, entrusting the preparations to the prayers of the faithful.
Caroline de Sury writes for OSV News from Paris.
