Pope Leo’s visit to France to focus on faith, culture, Europe

By Isabella H. de Carvalho 

From September 25 to 28, 2026, Pope Leo XIV will visit France, embarking on his fifth international Apostolic Journey since the beginning of his pontificate.

During a press conference held at the Holy See’s Press Office on Friday, September 18, the Director of the Press Office, Matteo Bruni, illustrated the Pope’s Journey, which will take him to Paris, Lourdes and the northeastern city of Metz.

France will be the ninth country Pope Leo visits (tenth if counting the Pastoral visit to San Marino in August 2026), and it will include meetings with the authorities and state representatives of the country, encounters with young people and the local clergy, visits to charity initiatives, a visit to UNESCO headquarters and more.

All his addresses, homilies and pronouncements will be in French, except his speech at UNESCO, which will be partly in French and partly in English, and his speech at the “To the roots of Europe for Peace and Unity” meeting in Metz, which will be entirely in English.

A meeting with French culture, history, faith, society

Bruni spoke about some of the themes that may emerge from this Journey. He explained that the Pope will be meeting with the French society, “its people, its culture, its history,” but also with its “faith” and with a Church that has dedicated itself greatly “to the country’s most fragile sons and daughters, to the poorest.”

He spoke about a country that is asking itself questions about society, humanity and life and the relationship with science and technological progress and artificial intelligence. He also spoke about a country that is open to the world and said that one “can expect a reference to situations of conflict.” 

Bruni also highlighted the role of the Church in French society as it tries to respond to today’s challenges. He noted the history and richness of the French Church, which has seen an increase in baptisms in recent years, with 13,000 adults baptized at Easter 2026.

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The Director of the Holy See Press Office then explained how UNESCO is a place where “humanity reflects on itself, on its history, on its future,” with a focus on the value of art and education as a vehicle for peace. He also noted how the environment will be an important element, as it is closely related to culture. The Holy See and UNESCO will additionally be celebrating 75 years of diplomatic relations in 2027.

Lastly, Matteo Bruni underlined Europe, its future and its past, as an important theme in the last leg of the trip, the border city of Metz. Unity, diversity, peace and openness to other cultures are all important topics in this last sequence.

The papal delegation

Members of the papal delegation will include Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education; Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura; Cardinal George Koovakad, Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue; and Archbishop Filippo Iannone, Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. The Vatican’s Secretariat of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin will not be able to attend as he will be at the United Nations in New York.

Previous papal journeys to France

Pope Leo XIV will be walking in his predecessors’ footsteps with this Journey to France. Pope Francis visited Strasbourg (2014), Marseille (2023) and Corsica (2024) for specific events or moments; however, he never undertook an official state visit to France.

Pope Benedict XVI went to the country in 2008 for the 150th anniversary of the apparitions of Lourdes, while Pope John Paul II visited France 8 times, including one trip to the overseas territory of Réunion in the Indian Ocean in 1989.

Pope Leo XIV’s Polish predecessor is the only other Pope to have been to UNESCO. He spoke at the UN agency dedicated to education, science and culture in 1980.