Pope Leo XIV will embark on an official state visit to France from September 25 to 28, the Vatican announced on Saturday.
The trip will mark the first official state visit to France by a pope in 18 years and one of the earliest major European visits of Pope Leo XIV since his election in May 2025.
According to the Vatican, the pontiff will travel to Paris, where he is expected to visit the headquarters of UNESCO.
The visit follows an earlier scheduled trip to Spain in June and is seen as part of the pope’s efforts to strengthen engagement with historically Catholic but increasingly secular European nations.
The last official papal state visit to France was by Pope Benedict XVI in 2008.
Although Pope Francis visited France several times during his papacy, including trips to Strasbourg, Marseille, and Corsica, those visits were not classified as official state visits by the Holy See.
The invitation for the visit was extended by Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, president of the French Bishops’ Conference, and later reiterated by French President Emmanuel Macron during a meeting with the pope at the Vatican in April.
Reacting to the announcement, Macron described the upcoming visit as “an honour” for France and “a source of joy for Catholics and a great moment of hope for everyone.”
Cardinal Aveline said Pope Leo XIV had repeatedly expressed admiration for France’s spiritual heritage and demonstrated keen interest in the life of the Catholic Church in the country.
He added that the pope was particularly interested in the Church’s missionary work and the social and theological challenges confronting Catholicism in modern society.
In addition to Paris, the pontiff is also expected to visit Lourdes, one of the world’s most significant Christian pilgrimage destinations.
Lourdes has previously hosted papal visits by Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, attracting hundreds of thousands of pilgrims on each occasion.
The visit comes as Pope Leo XIV continues efforts to bridge divisions within the Catholic Church, particularly between progressive and traditionalist factions on social, political, and theological issues.
