Visit of Pope Leo XIV to France: speech at the Elysée and program of festivities

The sovereign pontiff begins his first visit to France on Friday with a stopover in Paris and Saint-Denis.

White smoke for Leo XIV's trip to French soil. The American pope's plane landed in Paris around 10 a.m. on Friday, September 25. The church bells of France rang for seven minutes to celebrate his coming. He was welcomed on the tarmac by Emmanuel Macron, who then received him at the Elysée. “It is a great honor and a great joy for the French Republic to welcome you to our soil,” declared the Head of State to the sovereign pontiff after their meeting. Leo XIV begins a four-day marathon in France. In a speech at the Elysée, he denounced "genetic manipulation", "surrogacy", the "purchase of organs" and "the offer of a planned death", which he presented as abuses of science and technology when they are not guided by conscience.

A reduced diplomatic component. If the President of the Republic welcomed the sovereign pontiff upon his arrival at the airport, exchanges between Leo XIV and Emmanuel Macron will be quite limited. The Pope went to the Elysée, but also to meet the diplomatic corps and civil society. No face-to-face lunch between the two men, the Bishop of Rome preferring to take his meals at the apostolic nunciature, the official representation of the Holy See in Paris.

Crowd bath in sight. Leo The building will be closed from September 24 to 26 to the public due to this exceptional celebration.

A symbolic vigil at the Stade de France. You had to be between 17 and 35 years old and be responsive when registering to get your seat in Saint-Denis to attend the vigil, from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. The evening will begin with a musical prologue, including performances by Natasha Saint-Pier and Monroe, the French candidate for Eurovision 2026, before the opening of the vigil punctuated by pop-praise pieces. Leo

The Pope also spoke of the reconstruction of Notre-Dame Cathedral, where he will celebrate a mass. The craftsmen who rebuilt it and the firefighters who saved the building are in the audience. “Such a wonderful achievement must inspire all those involved in social, political and religious life in the country!”