French bishops announced on May 6 that an apostolic journey to France “could take place at the end of September,” with Paris and Lourdes named among the possible stops. The Vatican has not yet officially confirmed the visit; papal trips aren't official until they are confirmed by the Holy See.
But Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, Archbishop of Marseille and president of the French bishops’ conference, said he has held several working meetings with the Pope, including one last week, during which “a draft program” was prepared. The bishops invited Catholics in France to pray for the possible visit.
If confirmed, the trip would carry both pastoral and symbolic weight. Paris would place the Pope at the heart of French public life, while Lourdes — one of the world’s most beloved Marian pilgrimage sites — would offer a powerful setting of prayer, healing, and popular devotion.
Spain prepares for Leo XIV’s June visit
Albares said the audience was “a gesture of friendship and affection toward Spain” and noted that they discussed key moments of the visit, including the Pope’s stop at Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia.
Another possible stop being discussed is Scy-Chazelles, in Moselle, where Robert Schuman lived and is buried. Schuman, often called one of the “fathers of Europe,” has an open cause for canonization. Such a visit would place the Pope’s message within a broader European horizon, linking faith, peace, and the moral foundations of political life.
In any event, a France trip is still very much in the planning stage.
Other travels
Pope Leo will spend his first anniversary, this Friday, May 8, in southern Italy, visiting the shrine of Pompeii. Then he has another Italian trip in May, to Acerra.
Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to visit Spain from June 6 to 12.
Then later next month, in a trip to northern Italy on June 20, he will venerate the relics of St. Frances Cabrini at her birthplace, Sant’Angelo Lodigiano.
Should the France journey go ahead, it would be the first official state visit by a pope to France since Benedict XVI traveled to Paris and Lourdes in 2008. Pope Francis visited Strasbourg, Marseille, and Corsica, but he never made a formal state visit to France.
For the Church in France, the announcement already opens a season of expectation. Lourdes would bring the Pope close to the sick, pilgrims, and families who travel there seeking consolation. Paris would allow him to speak to a country where Catholic heritage remains visible, even as faith is often considered something to keep quiet.
