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POPE LEO XIV’S APOSTOLIC JOURNEY TO PARIS

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Paris  ||  | 25 September 2026
Iniziative (EN) - Maison de la Paix (EN)

A delegation from the “United States of the World” and the “Fondazione Mediterraneo” – led by Secretary-General Michele Capasso – took part in the key events of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to France: the first apostolic journey by a Pope to this country in 18 years.
“Of particular significance,” said Secretary-General Capasso, “is the celebration of the Eucharist in Place de la Concorde: a place consecrated to secularism. During the service, Pope Leo invited French Catholics to move beyond a faith lived out in private, saying: ‘Strive to rediscover a radiant horizon, to build a renewed nation starting from its roots nourished by faith. Do not keep your faith in Jesus Christ solely for yourselves, but let it overflow to quench the thirst and fulfil the needs of the people you meet. It is up to you to bring hope where discouragement and spiritual aridity reign’. These words of the Pope, in a secular country where baptisms are nevertheless on the rise, are a sign of a profound change summed up in the Pontiff’s concluding remarks: ‘Indeed, it is by accepting to live in the truth under the gaze of Jesus that we can be authentic’”.
A vast crowd welcomed the Pope at the Place de la Concorde, which he reached in the popemobile after passing through the Arc de Triomphe and travelling the entire length of the Champs-Élysées. Estimates put the number at 800,000 people, and there is no precedent for such a crowded Mass in the centre of Paris.  The French President’s wife, Brigitte Macron, also attended the ceremony.

The Pope then spoke of the great saints in French history and emphasised that “even today, there are countless people in our society, in our parishes and in our various activities who continue to commit themselves to life, the family, truth, peace, fraternity and justice”. And so “from this beautiful city of Paris, I pray fervently that the living water of the Holy Spirit may flow out over the whole of France. I am thinking of you, dear families, who, despite the many difficulties you face every day, courageously persevere in your mission”, added the Pontiff. He then addressed the young people: “You are the Church of today! How wonderful it is to see your enthusiasm, your dynamism, your commitment and your joy within Christian communities.
Before Mass, during a meeting at the Catholic Institute of Paris, Leone admitted to being “astonished by the number of people returning to the faith and by the number of adults seeking the sacraments of Christian initiation. “It may seem paradoxical,” he observed, “that this phenomenon – whereby so many people are rediscovering the Gospel and embracing the faith – should be taking place within the context of a society such as France’s, characterised by a strongly secularised culture.” Yet “your experience and your witness, dear catechumens and new believers, are a tangible sign of the work of God’s grace, which goes beyond statistical and sociological analyses”, added the Pontiff, quoting Pope Francis, who spoke in this regard of “sterile pessimism”.
In the wake of the Pontiff’s first day in the capital, the French press gave the visit prominent coverage, dedicating their front pages to it. The headline “Leone the Parisian” dominates the entire front page of Le Parisien, accompanied by a full-page image of the Pope at Notre-Dame. ‘Joy and fervour’ is the headline chosen for the front-page lead in Le Figaro, showing Leo waving from the popemobile. Libération, the newspaper founded by Jean-Paul Sartre, opted instead for ‘Leo in France, Day 1: Pope star in Paris’.