“I leave the historic banks of the Tiber for the majestic ones of the Seine, and already this evening I will find myself immersed in the evocative and solemn atmosphere of Notre-Dame. I entrust to Mary, Lady of France and Castellane of Italy, the hope that my visit will consolidate the faith of the children of that great homeland and encourage their courage to bear witness.”
These were the words Pope St. John Paul II gave at Fiumicino Airport before he departed for his apostolic visit to Paris and Lisieux between May and June of 1980.
Once in the French capital, John Paul II took a ride along the Seine aboard a traditional bateau mouche. Pope Leo XIV is not expected to repeat the gesture.
