Religion
the apostolic journey •
The Pope’s visit to France begins
Leo XIV landed at Orly this morning. A reception at the Élysée Palace is scheduled, followed by religious services. The Holy See is seeking to avoid politicisation amidst the looming French elections and the local debate on end-of-life care.
Leo XIV’s apostolic journey to France has begun. The Pope landed at 09:56 this morning at Paris Orly Airport. Over the next four days, the Pope will travel between the capital and two symbolic locations: Lourdes, the Marian heart of the country, and Metz, the birthplace of Robert Schuman.
In Paris, a meeting is scheduled at the Élysée Palace with the authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps, followed by a visit to UNESCO, the celebration of Vespers at Notre-Dame and the vigil with young people at the Saint-Denis Stadium, where the 70,000 available seats sold out in a quarter of an hour. Tomorrow, meanwhile, Mass will be held at the Place de la Concorde, with 660,000 people registered to attend.
In Lourdes, Leo XIV will recite the rosary at the Grotto of Massabielle and preside over the evocative torchlight procession, whilst in Metz the focus will be on Europe. According to the Vatican Press Office, there is a possibility that some bilateral political meetings may take place there.
The Pope’s visit is also being followed with great interest by the secular community, due to tensions with the Élysée Palace in the run-up to the trip. Leo XIV has, in fact, declined Macron’s invitation to a gala dinner, military honours from the Presidential Guard, the awarding of the Legion of Honour and even a guided tour of Notre-Dame led by the French President. The Holy See has, however, denied that there is a crisis in relations with Paris and emphasised that this is an apostolic journey, not a political one.
However, the atmosphere in France is highly politicised, due to the approaching presidential elections and the law on end-of-life care enacted just over a month ago, which has alienated the Catholic community from Macron.
