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Pope Leo XIV Kicks Off Four-Day France Visit With Macron

By Drooid · Sep 21, 2026, 10:33 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Pope Visits France

Pope Leo XIV begins a four-day apostolic visit to France, meeting President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace.
He will celebrate an outdoor Mass in Paris on Sept. 26 before about 600,000 people.
French bishops anticipate roughly 1 million attendees across Paris, Lourdes and Metz.
An IFOP poll on Sept. 15 shows 26% hope the visit will revive the Church.
28% want Leo to address peace and global conflicts.

Summary

Pope Praises Laity

Pope Leo XIV praised laypeople’s contribution to Catholic social teaching during a Sept. 18 audience.
The Leo XIV International Study Center, founded October 2025 within the Augustinian Order, operates as a third-sector entity.
Pope highlighted collaboration with the Theological Faculty of Central Italy and the Pontifical Patristic Institute Augustinianum.
Report to the Pope estimates UK Catholic households hold £1.2 trillion wealth and donate nearly £3 billion yearly.

History

Historical Context

John Paul II’s three-day pilgrimage to France in June 1997, meeting President Jacques Chirac at the Élysée, drew about 1.2 million Catholics to Masses in Paris, Lyon and Lourdes. It was the first papal visit to France since 1814 and his eighth French trip, timed with the 12th World Youth Day and the beatification of Frédéric Ozanam, reflecting the Vatican’s effort to revive French Catholicism.

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Pope Visits France

Pope Leo XIV begins a four-day apostolic visit to France, meeting President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace.
He will celebrate an outdoor Mass in Paris on Sept. 26 before about 600,000 people.
French bishops anticipate roughly 1 million attendees across Paris, Lourdes and Metz.
An IFOP poll on Sept. 15 shows 26% hope the visit will revive the Church.
28% want Leo to address peace and global conflicts.

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