
AI-generated summary
France has lost its historic role as the intellectual center of Christianity evoked by Paul VI, but remains observed by the Vatican as a laboratory for ecclesial developments despite the dechristianization initiated since the 1960s.
Leo XIV arrives in France this Friday for a four-day trip. What faith and what Church will the Vicar of Christ find during his stay in Paris, Lourdes and Metz?
The time is no longer when, with its Lubac, Congar, Maritain, France was the place “where the intellectual bread of Christianity was baked”, according to the flattering compliment of the very Francophile Paul VI. But the eldest daughter of the Church always retains a place in the hearts of the popes. The visit of Leo
Also read: Leo XIV in France: the challenges of a historic visit
If France no longer produces “intellectual bread”, it has long been a laboratory: for better or for worse, what is happening there prefigures developments that the Churches of other countries will experience. This is why it is closely observed by the Vatican.
The Pope comes to observe, bless and comfort
France was hit very early by dechristianization (from the 1960s…
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Pope Leo XIV will deliver a call for renewal of faith during his mass in Paris
Likely · Within days
The visit will be followed by a Vatican reflection on the future of the Church in secularized societies
Possible · Within weeks

Young people from the diocese of Saint-Denis and other regions gathered at the Stade de France to welcome Pope Leo XIV, expressing their joy, emotion and desire for peace and freedom during his visit to Seine-Saint-Denis, the first by a pope to France in more than 18 years.

Pope Leo On Saturday, he must celebrate a solemn mass at Place de la Concorde and on the Champs-Élysées, before going to Lourdes.

Dozens of volunteers and crowds of faithful gathered Friday September 25 in Paris to welcome Pope Leo XIV. Between logistical preparations and religious fervor, the participants await the passage of the sovereign pontiff.

Around 600,000 faithful are expected on Saturday on the Champs-Élysées in Paris for a historic mass celebrated by Pope Leo XIV. The participants see it as a moment of communion and an opportunity to demonstrate their presence in France.

Pope Leo

Some 600,000 people are expected for a historic mass on the Champs-Élysées on the occasion of the pope's visit, a significant event for Catholics in France.