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On Friday, Pope Leo XIV praised the "splendor" of Notre-Dame de Paris, which has been restored following the devastating fire of 2019, saying "the heart of a people" beats within this place. He is the first pope to visit the cathedral since its reopening in 2024.
Armed with paper fortune-tellers and pop worship songs, young French Catholics from the Anuncio movement fanned out into the crowds awaiting Pope Leo XIV's arrival in Paris on Friday, hoping to bring strangers closer to God in one of Europe's most secular countries.
Enthused believers hailed Pope Leo XIV as he waved to the crowds from a 'popemobile' in the French capital on Friday, after speeches calling for peace and warning against losing humanity in an AI-driven "paradise of machines". “He’s extraordinary”, said one person in the crowd just after the pope passed by.
Watch our special FRANCE 24 coverage of Pope Leo XIV's visit to Paris as the pontiff travelled through the French capital in the popemobile on his way to Notre-Dame Cathedral, where our journalist Claire Paccalin was reporting live. During the special edition, Father Michael Baggot, professor of theology, also analysed the images and explained why Pope Leo XIV has made transhumanism and the ethical challenges of artificial intelligence a recurring theme of his pontificate.
Watch our special FRANCE 24 edition as Pope Leo XIV leads Vespers at Notre-Dame Cathedral on September 25 during his visit to Paris. Our journalists followed the event live from outside the cathedral, while guests joined us to analyse the significance of this key moment in the pontiff's four-day visit to France.
The pope has landed in Paris for a four-day trip. Received by President Emmanuel Macron, Leo warned about the risks of AI and criticized France's limited legalization of assisted dying.
Crowds have already begun gathering outside Notre-Dame Cathedral as Pope Leo XIV prepares for one of the highlights of his Paris visit. Before heading to the cathedral, the pontiff is expected to deliver another speech at UNESCO headquarters, where he is set to address global challenges including peace, culture and international cooperation, as FRANCE 24's Claire Paccalin explains.
Pope Leo XIV has declined a state dinner, the Legion of Honour and a private meeting with President Emmanuel Macron, keeping his four-day France visit centred on its apostolic mission despite official talks at the Élysée. While the Vatican cited scheduling reasons, some observers see a desire to emphasise the trip's spiritual focus, even as the pontiff is set to address European security and peace during his stop in Metz.
Watch the replay of Pope Leo XIV's address at UNESCO on September 25, 2026 where he spoke about peace, culture, AI and international cooperation during the first stop of his France visit.
Pope Leo XIV used his address at the Élysée Palace to touch on some of France's biggest debates, from artificial intelligence and secularism to surrogacy, while calling for peace and solidarity. Our journalist Kethevane Gorjestani breaks down the key takeaways from his speech.
Pope Leo XIV has arrived in Paris, and was welcomed at the Élysée Palace by French president Emmanuel Macron. They are having closed-door talks on international geopolitics, artificial intelligence and peace. The pontiff is then set to deliver a speech at the Élysée Palace. FRANCE 24's Luke Shrago has more.
Watch the replay of Pope Leo XIV's address in french at the Élysée Palace on 25 September, where he spoke about peace, artificial intelligence, France's challenges and the importance of solidarity. The pontiff also condemned gestational surrogacy, calling for greater protection of human dignity during the first day of his four-day visit to France.
The pope has landed in Paris, where he and President Macron will navigate the rules of religious state visits in secular France. Leo's trip will mix pilgrimage and politics on questions of morality and human existence.
Pope Leo XIV's visit to France is forcing Emmanuel Macron into a delicate diplomatic balancing act. As both the head of the Catholic Church and the head of the Vatican City State, the pontiff requires the French president to navigate the country's secular traditions carefully. There will be no private meeting between the two leaders — officially because of the Pope's packed schedule — and Macron is not expected to attend any of the religious services during the visit. FRANCE 24's Rochelle Ferguson has the details.
Paris is making final preparations for Pope Leo XIV's first official visit to the French capital in 18 years, with volunteers welcoming crowds ahead of his four-day trip. His programme includes meetings with President Emmanuel Macron and UNESCO, a popemobile procession, a prayer service at Notre-Dame, a youth vigil at the Stade de France, and a mass at Place de la Concorde expected to draw up to one million people before he continues to Lourdes and Metz.
Catholic influencers gathered hundreds of young people for an evening of prayer at Paris's Saint-Sulpice church ahead of Pope Leo XIV's visit, highlighting how social media is becoming a new tool for evangelisation. As youth baptisms rise in France, creators say their goal is to turn online engagement into real-life communities, while Church leaders warn that influencers themselves should not overshadow the faith they promote.
Pope Leo XIV has landed at Paris Orly Airport for the start of his four-day visit to France. A welcoming ceremony was held on the tarmac in the presence of President Emmanuel Macron, marking the beginning of a programme combining diplomatic meetings with major public events across Paris, Lourdes and Metz.
President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Pope Leo XIV to the Élysée Palace on Friday, 25 September, at the start of the pontiff's four-day visit to France. The Pope entered the courtyard to a ceremonial welcome, walked the red carpet, shook hands with President Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron, before climbing the palace steps for a brief meeting at the Élysée.
Alison Sargent is pleased to welcome Andrea Antonio Verardi, Professor of Church History and Cultural Heritage at the Pontifical Gregorian University. According to Verardi, Pope Leo’s visit to France is much more than a diplomatic visit. The focus of the visit combines three key issues: the search for peace amid geopolitical instability, the challenge that artificial intelligence and technological change pose to humanity and human dignity, and the unexpected re-emergence of religious identification among younger generations in a deeply secular society.
First papal state visit to country in 18 years comes as church confronts contentious issues.
