Carmen Álvarez Cuadrado
France has not officially welcomed a pope for almost two decades. Eighteen years later, Pope Leo XIV will change that, traveling to the country for what will be his fifth international trip. He will visit from September 25 to 28.
Pope Francis did actually visit the country on three separate occasions, but none of these was considered an official papal journey; they were instead brief trips for very specific events.
In 2014, Francis went to Strasbourg to visit the European Parliament and the Council of Europe; in 2023, to Marseille to participate in the Mediterranean Meetings; and in 2024, to Corsica for what would be his final trip ever to take part in a congress on popular religiosity.
The French bishops invited Pope Leo to visit France, but so did its head of state. Emmanuel Macron traveled to Vatican City on April 10 for his first face-to-face meeting with the American pope. He formally invited the pope during that time.
The Director-General of UNESCO also invited him to visit. Although the official schedule or program has not yet been released, the pope is expected to visit the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, as well as to visit the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes.
The last pope to make an apostolic visit to France was Pope Benedict XVI in 2008, for the 150th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady to St. Bernadette.
One of the most powerful moments was his prayer vigil with French youth at Notre-Dame Cathedral, one of the great symbols of Paris that was severely damaged by a major fire in 2019.
And Pope St. John Paul II visited the country several times. Here you can see him on a boat on the Seine, the Eiffel Tower in the background. Pope Leo will surely leave the French people with similar moments.
