The bells of France will ring in unison for the arrival of Pope Leo XIV

It will be difficult not to hear them. Friday September 25, at 10 a.m. sharp, church bells in France must ring simultaneously for seven minutes. An initiative intended to mark the arrival of Pope Leo XIV, expected at 10 a.m. at Paris-Orly airport for the start of his first visit to France since his election.

Presented by the organizers as “a simple and symbolic gesture”, this ringing should allow Catholics, but also more broadly everyone, to “join in” the start of this apostolic journey, wherever they are. The official website of His Holiness's visit confirms that the bells will ring "in unison" throughout France.

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First full day

In Paris, the bells will ring again in the afternoon, “at 5 p.m.”, as the sovereign pontiff passes through “the streets of the capital”. Léon

This first French day will be particularly busy. After his arrival at Orly, the Pope will go to the Élysée to meet Emmanuel Macron and address the authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps. He will then go to the headquarters of UNESCO, before joining Notre-Dame de Paris. He will end the day at the Stade de France, in Saint-Denis, for a prayer vigil with 80,000 young people.

The Pope will remain in France until Monday September 28, with stops in Paris, Lourdes and Metz. In Paris, nearly 600,000 people have registered to attend the mass he will celebrate on Saturday September 26 at Place de la Concorde, according to the Archbishop of Paris Laurent Ulrich. In Lourdes, a Sunday mass is also planned for September 27. The arrival of Leo XIV must therefore mobilize several hundred thousand faithful across the country.