The Pope is making the first official papal visit to France in 18 years, during which he is expected to meet survivors of sexual abuse, EU leaders and large crowds of worshippers.
Church bells will quite literally be ringing across France this Friday morning as Pope Leo XIV lands on the tarmac of Paris-Orly airport for the first official papal visit to the country in 18 years.
The Bishops’ Conference of France (CEF) described the decision to ring bells for seven minutes "as a simple and symbolic gesture" to mark the beginning of the Pope’s apostolic journey and allow people "to take part" from wherever they are.
From addressing EU leaders and meeting with victims of sexual violence within the Church to parading through Paris on his popemobile, the pontiff has a packed four days ahead of him.
The paternal grandmother of the Chicago-Born Pope Leo XIV — who is the first US pontiff — was born in France.
An operation heavy on logistics
Pope Benedict XVI’s September 2008 trip was the last papal trip to France classified as an official visit. While Pope Francis travelled to France on three occasions during his pontificate — Corsica, Marseille and Strasbourg — none of these trips constituted an official papal visit.
The cost of the Pope's trip to France is set to cost an estimated €27 million, with the Catholic Church in France covering the bulk of the expenses through donations. Meanwhile, the total cost incurred by French security forces — who have had to lay out a vast security apparatus — remains unknown at present.
Speaking to French broadcaster BFMTV on Wednesday, French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said no "specific threat" had been detected at the time of the interview.
“The police are always on high alert, and intelligence agencies, in particular, are monitoring the situation in advance. We haven't detected any specific threat, but there will be a major security operation in place,” he stated.
The Popemobile and Notre-Dame-de-Paris
After being received by the French President at the Elysée Palace, the Pope is set to deliver a speech at UNESCO's headquarters, addressing a number of topics — including artificial intelligence and global peace.
AI has become a central theme over the course of the Pope's pontificate, who published his first 42,300 word encyclical entitled "Magnifica humanitas" in May, focusing on the risks unchecked artificial intelligence pose for humans.
The pontiff will celebrate Vespers at the Notre-Dame-de-Paris Cathedral later on Friday before heading to the Stade de France in Saint-Denis for a major evening prayer vigil with young people.
The following day, crowds will gather for an open-air Mass at the Place de la Concorde and along the Champs-Élysées. French authorities have estimated that around 600,000 people are expected to attend the event and surrounding areas.
Over the course of the Pope's two-day Paris trip, a million pilgrims and visitors are expected in the French capital.
Meeting with sexual abuse victims and addressing EU leaders
After Paris, the Pope will travel to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, one of the world's most renowned Catholic pilgrimage sites, located in southwestern France.
The popularity of Lourdes is intrinsically tied to the story of Bernadette Soubirous. Between February and July 1858, Soubirous — a young girl from a modest background, who suffered from asthma — reported 18 visions of a lady dressed in white in the Grotto of Massabielle near Lourdes.
The Catholic Church later recognised Bernadette's visions as apparitions of the Virgin Mary. Her accounts, along with the discovery of spring water believed by some to have healing properties, led to the construction of a sanctuary at the site. Millions of pilgrims have since travelled there to pray.
In Lourdes, the Pope will also meet with seven survivors of sexual abuse who were assaulted as children or adults. A 2021 report estimated that 330,000 children had been sexually abused over 70 years by church personnel in France.
Although many have supported the Pope's plan to meet with sexual violence victims, not all victims are convinced by the idea.
Among them is Arnaud Gallais, a child-protection activist and survivor of sexual abuse by a priest during his childhood, who has criticised aspects of the Pope’s visit while calling for the meeting with survivors to lead to concrete commitments from the Church.
He told Euronews that he was critical of the decision to give the Pope a ceremonial welcome, arguing that it is difficult to reconcile such displays with the scale of sexual abuse and the suffering experienced by victims within the Church.
"I can see that this meeting is important for the victims, but what I think should be really be a priority, is for the President of the French Republic to hold a diplomatic meeting with the Head of State of the Vatican to address the issue of sexual violence in the Church."
Macron will not attend papal masses
On Monday, the Pope is set to address EU leaders in the northeastern French city of Metz with a speech entitled “To the Roots of Europe for Peace and Unity."
He will deliver this address at the Robert Schuman Convention Center, named after one of the key figures behind the creation of the European Union. The Élysée Palace did not respond to a request regarding which leaders are set to attend.
The French president will not attend any of papal masses over the course of the trip.
In 2023, during Pope Francis' visit to France, he attended the mass held at the Stade Vélodrome, but did not participate in the Eucharist or receive communion. His presence drew criticism from figures on the left at the time, who accused him of disrespecting France's laïcité principle.
Green senator Mélanie Vogel took to X at the time to declare that "as the President of a secular country, you can go there as a Catholic, but not as President. That’s called secularism. You’re welcome."
Meanwhile, Bastien Lachaud, an MP from the hard-left France Unbowed party back then also accused Macron of mocking "secularism" and of trampling "on its principles — the separation of church and state, and the state’s neutrality toward religions."
Ahead of the Pope's visit, the Elysée stressed that France could embrace religious enthusiasm while remaining committed to secularism.
Macron will be represented by Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu as well as by his wife Brigitte Macron during the giant open air mass at the Place de la Concorde and adjoining Champs-Elysées on Saturday, according to the Elysée.
In Lourdes, the Pope is set to be greeted by a member of the government upon his arrival at Tarbes airport, but no officials will attend his Sunday mass at the Lourdes sanctuary.
Source: Euro News
-Agencies
