Pope Francis Paris visit 2026
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Pope Leo holds huge open-air Mass in Paris attended by several hundred thousand
150,000 people signed up to attend the Mass the Pope will celebrate in Lourdes on Sunday.
The Pope will visit Metz on Monday to pay tribute to Robert Schuman, a founding father of the European Union.
Macron did not attend any of the Pope's Masses during the visit, to avoid appearing to breach France's rules on separation of Church and state.
Pope Leo XIV warns AI could undermine humanity during France visit
A 2021 inquiry found that clergy or lay members of the Church had abused about 330,000 people as children in France over 70 years.
The number of priests in France has shrunk by two-thirds from 25,000 in 1990 to fewer than 9,000.
Pope Leo XIV called on French bishops to root out the 'scourge' of sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic church.
Pope Leo visits France, draws massive crowd for outdoor Mass in Paris
Leo's four-day trip to France began Friday with a visit to the restored Notre Dame Cathedral, the first by a pope since the 2019 fire.
Pope Leo addressed French Catholics, urging them to share their faith in an increasingly secularized society.
The outdoor Mass took place on the Champs-Élysées and Place de la Concorde in Paris.
“From this beautiful city of Paris, I pray fervently that the living water of the Holy Spirit may flow throughout France.”
Pope Leo XIV begins visit to France amid assisted dying and abuse debates
France's assisted dying legislation followed 2024 legislation enshrining abortion as a constitutional right.
The four-day trip marks the first formal papal visit to France since Pope Benedict XVI's visit in September 2008.
French Ambassador to the Vatican Charles Personnaz told Reuters that Macron has invited leaders from all 27 EU members to attend the speech and meet with the Pontiff.
“French Catholics are… saying loudly that they need the Church to find their way in these uncertain moments in world history.”
Pope Leo XIV visits France
Pope Leo XIV dedicated his first encyclical to the topic of artificial intelligence.
The Vatican estimated that about 300,000 people came out to see the pontiff on Friday.
Pope Leo XIV reaffirmed the Vatican's opposition to nuclear weapons, calling the nuclear deterrence doctrine "mistaken".
“People are searching for something. Maybe they go to India or Tibet or the Amazon. And now the Pope comes here from Rome, bringing a reminder to people of their own roots.”
Pope's visit to Paris expected to draw hundreds of thousands
A giant Mass attended by more than half a million people in central Paris is the highpoint of the Pope's visit.
Pope Leo turned down Macron's idea of a meeting with artisans who helped rebuild the fire-devastated Notre-Dame cathedral.
Macron will hold talks with the Pope at the Ãlysée Palace on geopolitical issues and artificial intelligence.