Pope Leo XIV to Visit France September 25 to 28, Vatican Announces

Pope Leo XIV will travel to France for an official state visit from September 25 to 28, marking the first such trip by a pope to the country in 18 years, the Vatican announced. The four-day visit will include a stop at the Paris headquarters of UNESCO, the United Nations cultural agency, as well as other activities expected to be centered on major Catholic sites, according to Vatican statements and remarks by French church leaders.

The Vatican said the pope, the first from the United States to be elected in May 2025, will go to UNESCO during his trip to Paris. The visit comes amid financial strain at the agency following the United States’ withdrawal last year, which UNESCO said resulted in the loss of about 8% of its total budget.

France’s Catholic hierarchy had earlier indicated that Leo was likely to travel in September, including to Paris and Lourdes. Vatican officials later confirmed that the pope’s program will be released in greater detail closer to the trip. Reports also say Leo is expected to go to Lourdes, a major pilgrimage destination in the southwest of France. During the visit, he is also expected to celebrate Mass at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, which reopened...