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Pope Leo XIV Begins Four-Day France Visit With Macron

By Drooid · Sep 24, 2026, 10:34 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Pope Visits France

Pope Leo XIV begins a four-day apostolic journey in France on September 25-28, 2026.
He meets President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée palace on Friday.
Police anticipate up to 250,000 spectators along the Paris procession route.
80,000 tickets sell for a youth Mass at Stade de France.
At UNESCO, Leo discusses artificial intelligence, youth, peace, and interfaith dialogue.

Summary

Pope Launches Latin Tour

Pope Francis begins a Latin American tour that becomes the longest papal trip ever with 14 flights covering 19,000 miles.
The tour marks the first papal visit to Uruguay since 1988 and to Argentina since 1987.
Argentina prepares a 120-hour unified security command for up to seven million expected attendees.
Pope Francis will celebrate Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Luján, Argentina’s patroness.

History

Historical Context

In June 1997 Pope John Paul II walked the Champs-Élysées before an estimated 1.2 million French faithful, echoing his 1979 Poland pilgrimage that began the Vatican’s use of mass tours, a practice continued through eight visits to France, the last in 2004. The September 2026 meeting of Pope Leo XIV with President Emmanuel Macron follows this diplomatic pattern, with police preparing for up to 250 000 spectators.

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Pope Visits France

Pope Leo XIV begins a four-day apostolic journey in France on September 25-28, 2026.
He meets President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée palace on Friday.
Police anticipate up to 250,000 spectators along the Paris procession route.
80,000 tickets sell for a youth Mass at Stade de France.
At UNESCO, Leo discusses artificial intelligence, youth, peace, and interfaith dialogue.

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