PARIS (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV will open his second day in Paris with a special visit. On Sept. 26, he will cross the threshold of Maison Bakhita, a facility run by the Archdiocese of Paris dedicated to providing shelter for people in extreme need, most often migrants.
On Sept. 27, the Church observes World Day of Migrants and Refugees, ahead of which Pope Leo issued an appeal that migrants, especially vulnerable children, “always be protected and cared for” and called the exploitation of migrants a “tragic reality.”
Opened in 2021, Maison Bakhita brings together the efforts of numerous Catholic organizations that serve the poor. Spanning over 15,000 square feet, it is located in the 18th arrondissement, or district, not far from the Sacré-Coeur, or Basilica of the Sacred Heart, in Montmartre, and near the Porte de la Chapelle, where makeshift camps for foreign migrants regularly spring up.
The center is named after St. Josephine Bakhita, a Sudanese slave who became a nun in Italy, where she died in 1947, and who was canonized by St. John Paul II in 2000.
At Maison Bakhita, or Bakhita House, everyone who knocks on the door is welcomed.
‘A comforting place’ where people ‘can be heard’
“It offers a warm welcome to everyone,” Gwendoline Fasano, director of Maison Bakhita, told OSV News. “Here, people can have a time to rest and a comforting place where they can be heard.”
“All our efforts are aimed at helping these people regain their self-esteem,” Fasano emphasized. “We want to help them regain the ability to connect with others and the opportunity for a spiritual life, beyond their material needs, which we strive to help them meet.”
Upon his arrival, the pope will go to pray in the house’s oratory, accompanied by the two nuns who live there permanently. “They maintain a prayerful presence, and they welcome anyone who wants to speak with them or pray the liturgical services with them,” Fasano said.
There, the pope will unveil a commemorative plaque marking his visit. “It will remind us of the honor he has bestowed upon us,” Fasano said. “It will be an important memento for all the people welcomed here, who deeply need to be shown consideration.”
Daycare helps mothers who want job training
Pope Leo will then walk past the daycare center where women who come to the Bakhita House can leave their children. “Some women are single mothers with young children,” Fasano said. “The daycare center allows them to be available to take the training courses we offer, which help them reenter the workforce.” Among these programs are French language classes, as well as workshops in cooking, carpentry, digital skills, and sewing.
In the large dining hall, some 150 people pass through each day for a moment of fellowship.
The pope will be welcomed there by about forty people, volunteers and people in need, and will listen to the stories of some of them. Among them, an Afghan tailor of Muslim background will share how he was once taken in by Maison Bakhita, and how he now, standing firmly on his feet, returns there every week as a volunteer to help others.
“At Maison Bakhita, our welcome is unconditional,” Fasano emphasized. “We do not ask about the religion of those who knock on our door.”
The staff at Maison Bakhita also does not ask residents whether they are in the country legally.
‘I was a stranger and you welcomed me’
“Migration policy decisions are not within our purview,” Fasano said. “What drives us is Christ’s words in the Gospel according to St. Matthew: ‘I was … a stranger and you welcomed me.’ The pope’s visit will serve as a reminder that it is important to welcome every person — with their story and their suffering — just as we would welcome Christ himself.”
Among the witnesses who will address the pope will be a woman who was rescued from prostitution by the Catholic organization Aux Captifs la Libération, which the diocese has invited to participate in the Maison Bakhita papal visit.
The association’s director, Thierry Desjuzeur, will be with her.
“Every day, we reach out to people on the streets, particularly in the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, where prostitution is prevalent,” he told OSV News. “Our organization works in collaboration with parishes in Paris,” he said.
Name refers to beginning of Christ’s public ministry
The organization’s name refers to the beginning of Christ’s public ministry, when he read the passage from the Book of Isaiah speaking of the Lord who sent him “To proclaim liberty to the captives.”
“We try, as Christ did, to go out and meet today’s captives, those enslaved by prostitution, alcohol and precarious living conditions, and to bring them the Father’s tenderness,’ Desjuzeur said.
For Desjuzeur, the pope’s visit serves as a reminder of the intrinsic dignity of people living on the streets. “Whatever their circumstances, they are human beings,” he said. “I am struck by the simplicity and trust in God of these people whom we strive to accompany.”
The director expressed his admiration and gratitude for the pope’s visit to Maison Bakhita, despite his busy schedule. “In Paris, the number of migrants on the streets has increased significantly recently,” he said. “In this context, the pope’s message will be extremely powerful for society as a whole.”
Caroline de Sury writes for OSV News from Paris.
