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10h ago

Vatican Confirms Pope Leo XIV State Visit to France on Sept. 25–28

The visit spotlights UNESCO during a funding squeeze after the U.S. withdrawal.

Pope Leo XIV presides over the funeral of late Cardinal Emil Paul Tscherrig in St. Peter's Basilica at The Vatican, Friday, May 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Leo XIV waves from his car as he leaves with his personal secretary, Monsignor Edgard Iván Rimaycuna Inga, right, after visiting the Città Universitaria (University City) at Sapienza University of Rome where he met with faculty and students at the institution's primary campus, one of the world's oldest and largest universities, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
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It will be the first papal state visit to France in nearly two decades

Overview

  • Pope Leo XIV, whose office disclosed the plan Saturday, will make a four-day state visit to France that includes a stop at UNESCO’s Paris headquarters.
  • It will be the first official papal state visit to France since Benedict XVI traveled there in 2008.
  • The Holy See said the trip answers invitations from France’s head of state, the country’s church leaders, and UNESCO’s director-general, and President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the news on X.
  • A detailed program has not been released, though reports point to Paris and Lourdes, a likely Mass at the reopened Notre-Dame Cathedral, a meeting with Macron, and a possible address to parliament.
  • The journey will be Leo’s fourth foreign trip of 2026, following Monaco in March, a four-nation Africa tour in April, and a scheduled visit to Spain in June.