FR Ongoing

Pope Leo's Visit to France

Name: Pope Leo's Visit to France
Start: 2026-09-24
End: 2026-09-27
Location: Paris

Pope Leo conducts a high-profile four-day tour of France, highlighted by a massive outdoor mass on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris. The three-city visit includes significant religious services, diplomatic speeches, and a pilgrimage to the Lourdes shrine. Major scheduled activities include a youth vigil at a Paris stadium and an address at UNESCO headquarters focusing on global leadership and artificial intelligence.

Date: Sep 24-27, 2026
Location: Paris
Status: Ongoing

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Event summary

Highlights

Outdoor mass for 600,000 people on Avenue des Champs-Élysées
Diplomatic address at UNESCO headquarters in Paris
Vespers service at the reopened Notre-Dame Cathedral
Youth vigil at a Paris stadium

The visit begins in Paris with a mix of spiritual and secular engagements. Pope Leo is scheduled to celebrate vespers at the newly reopened Notre-Dame Cathedral and lead a large-scale youth vigil at a stadium in the capital. His diplomatic itinerary includes a speech at UNESCO headquarters, where he addresses the crisis in multilateral groups and the ethical implications of emerging technologies.

The tour's largest public gathering is an outdoor mass on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, which is expected to draw more than 600,000 attendees. Authorities implement major street closures in central Paris to accommodate the event and the movement of the popemobile. Additional stops in the capital include a visit to the Catholic University of Paris to meet with new adherents to the faith.

The final leg of the journey takes the Pope to Lourdes, home to a prominent Catholic shrine. On the concluding Sunday of the trip, he is scheduled to meet privately with victims of clergy abuse. This four-day visit serves as a significant effort to engage with the French public and address the standing of the church amid evolving religious demographics.

Practical details

Location described by the source: Avenue des Champs-Elysees; www.perthnow.com.au
Area for browsing nearby events: Paris

Before attending

Check the sources below for current opening times, admission prices and registration requirements. A date range does not mean the event runs continuously or that admission is free.