Pope Leo XIV will travel to France from Sept. 25 to 28 on an official state visit, the Vatican announced, marking the first papal state trip to the country in 18 years.
The visit will include stops in Paris, where the pope is expected to meet President Emmanuel Macron, and at the headquarters of UNESCO, the United Nations agency for education, science and culture, which has faced funding pressure after the United States withdrew last year.
It will be the first official papal state visit to France since Pope Benedict XVI’s trip in 2008. Although Pope Francis visited France three times, those visits were not formal state visits.
Macron welcomed the announcement in a post on X, saying France was “delighted” to host the pontiff.
“We are delighted that His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has confirmed his visit to France. This visit next September will be an honour for our country, a source of joy for Catholics and a great moment of hope for everyone,” Macron said.
French church officials had earlier signaled that the pope was likely to visit Paris and the pilgrimage site of Lourdes, though UNESCO was not previously confirmed as part of the itinerary.
The Vatican said the visit will highlight key diplomatic and religious engagements, including a possible address to the French parliament and a mass at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, which reopened in 2024 after restoration following a major fire.
The trip comes as Pope Leo, the first American pontiff, marks one year as head of the 1.4-billion-member Catholic Church and continues expanding his international travel schedule.
He has recently drawn political attention after criticizing aspects of global conflict, including the Iran war, comments that prompted criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump also reacted to the pope’s earlier stance on international military action, saying he was “not a big fan” of the pontiff’s position.
The Vatican said the France visit will be the pope’s fourth foreign trip this year, following visits to Africa, Monaco and a planned trip to Spain in June, where he is expected to speak on migration and the treatment of migrants in Europe.
French Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline said the pope has shown “great esteem” for France and its spiritual heritage.
“He is particularly interested in the life of the Church in France, its missionary zeal and also the challenges it faces,” Aveline said.
The visit is expected to draw large crowds, particularly in Lourdes, one of Catholicism’s most important pilgrimage sites, which has hosted previous papal visits by John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
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