Pope Leo XIV to make first official state visit to France in 18 years

Pope Leo XIV will travel to France for an official state visit from September 25 to 28, the Vatican announced on Saturday, marking the first such trip by a pontiff in 18 years.

The visit is the first official papal state visit to France since Benedict XVI in September 2008. While Francis visited France three times as pope – to Strasbourg, Marseille and the island of Corsica – those trips were not official state visits by the Holy See.

The pope will visit UNESCO headquarters in Paris and also travel to Lourdes, a Catholic pilgrimage site in southwestern France. The Lourdes shrine previously welcomed John Paul II in 1983 and 2004, and Benedict XVI in 2008, with hundreds of thousands of pilgrims gathering on each occasion, according to the sanctuary.

The pope is likely to celebrate mass at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, which reopened in 2024 five years after a devastating fire. UNESCO designated the cathedral as a World Heritage site in 1991.

French President Emmanuel Macron posted on X: 'We are delighted that His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has confirmed his visit to France. This visit next September will be an honour for our country, a source of joy for Catholics and a great moment of hope for everyone.'

Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, president of the French Bishops' Conference, extended the invitation, which Macron repeated during his visit to the Vatican in April. Aveline said on Saturday: 'It's a great joy, but also a great responsibility.' Aveline added that Leo 'is particularly interested in the life of the Church in France, its missionary zeal and also the challenges it faces.'

Pope Leo XIV is the first American pope, elected in May 2025. A French speaker, he counts French immigrants among his ancestors. The pope is scheduled to visit Spain in June, including Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands.

The visit comes after Pope Leo criticized the Iran war, drawing criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump.