Pope Leo XIV to Visit France, Ending 18-Year Vatican Hiatus

An 18-year absence of a formal papal visit to France is coming to an end. Pope Leo XIV is set to travel to the country, a trip that carries both religious and political weight far beyond standard protocol.

The visit breaks a long period of cool relations between Paris and the Vatican. It arrives at a sensitive time for France, which is undergoing deep social and political transformations. The itinerary is expected to include stops at Notre-Dame Cathedral, rising from its fire, and the spiritual city of Lourdes, as well as a potential visit to the grave of Robert Schuman, the "Father of Europe."

Ending a Long Absence

The last official papal visit to France was by Benedict XVI in 2008, when he spoke at the Collège des Bernardins in Paris about the Christian search for truth as a root of European culture. Pope Francis technically visited France three times—Strasbourg, Marseille, and Ajaccio—but he was careful to state each time that he was "not visiting France." This stance was felt keenly by French Catholics, who perceived a deliberate exclusion by a pope who preferred the "peripheries" over the "eldest daughter of the Church."

According to the magazine *Le Point*, Francis also did not attend the 2024 reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral, a move that irritated the Élysée. Now, Leo XIV is seen as markedly correcting that posture.

The Pope’s French Roots

Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost, has a personal connection to France that goes beyond diplomatic courtesy. His father was of French and Italian descent and participated in the Normandy landings and operations in Provence during World War II. His grandmother was born in Le Havre, and his mother has French roots in Louisiana, Haiti, and Guadeloupe. The pope speaks French fluently and used it during his recent visit to Monaco.

Within a month of his election, French President Emmanuel Macron personally conveyed an invitation from the French bishops to the pope during a meeting at the Vatican on April 10. More significantly, on May 28, 2025—less than a month after his election—the pope sent a letter to the bishops of France invoking three French saints and calling for a "re-launch of the mission" in a country that has "drifted far from its sources."

Lourdes, Paris, and Schuman’s Grave

The planned program includes a stop in Paris, where Notre-Dame will certainly feature, and a visit to Lourdes, a site visited twice by John Paul II and once by Benedict XVI. The third potential stop is what has captured observers' attention: the village of Scy-Chazelles in Moselle, where Robert Schuman is buried. Schuman, a convinced Christian whose beatification process is ongoing, is a powerful symbol.

The Catholic newspaper *La Croix* argues that if this stop is confirmed, it will send an integrated political-religious message about a "Christian-rooted Europe" at a time when the liberal American empire is retreating and the NATO structure is cracking.

A Sensitive Political Moment

Journalist Guillaume Tabard, writing in *Le Figaro*, analyzes the timing through a political lens. France will enter the pre-presidential campaign period for the 2027 elections in September. At the same time, the law on assisted dying, which the Vatican opposes on religious and doctrinal grounds, may be in its final parliamentary stages. The pope, who Tabard says has proven his ability to deliver "sober and precise political speech without stepping into the ring," will speak at a moment of great resonance.

It is no secret that Macron, who promised in 2018 at the Collège des Bernardins to "repair the broken bond between Church and state," wants this visit to be a landmark in his record. Adding to the spiritual significance, *La Croix* reports that the French Church is experiencing a rare phenomenon: requests for baptism are doubling, with over 21,000 requests from adults and young people this year alone—a figure that has drawn the Vatican's attention.