Seeing Pope Leo in France would already be memorable for American Catholics, but this September brings an added historical twist.
There are already plenty of good reasons for an American Catholic to come to France. You can pray at Lourdes, step inside the newly restored Notre-Dame, follow in the footsteps of St. Thérèse, climb the hill to Sacré-Cœur, and encounter enough saints, shrines, and spectacular churches to make you seriously reconsider the amount of time you've allocated to your trip.
This September, however, there's another rather compelling reason to cross the Atlantic: the Pope is coming, too.
From September 25 to 28, Pope Leo XIV will make an apostolic journey to France, with stops in Paris, Lourdes, and Metz. For American Catholics contemplating seeing the first US-born pope in person, France suddenly offers a rather extraordinary opportunity — and the timing comes with a lovely historical twist.
An American pope in America's oldest ally
This year marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and France has been celebrating alongside the United States. There's good reason for that. French officers began sailing to support the American revolutionaries as early as 1776, Lafayette became one of the great heroes of the American Revolution, and in 1778 France became the first nation formally to recognize the independence of the United States.
Two and a half centuries later, the first American pope will arrive on French soil in that anniversary year. And Pope Leo has already spoken movingly about what the anniversary means to him. Accepting the Liberty Medal from Philadelphia's National Constitution Center in July, the Chicago-born pontiff described himself as “a son of this great country” and prayed that America's founding ideals would continue to guide the nation towards “unity, justice, and peace.”
So for American Catholics making the journey, there is something rather special about the meeting of histories: an American pope, a French welcome, and two nations looking back over a friendship that began almost as soon as the United States itself did.
And then there's the small matter of where to see him.
Paris: Go big or go home
If you're going to cross an ocean to see the Pope, Paris certainly isn't offering a modest backdrop.
Leo's visit begins on Friday, September 25, with Vespers at Notre-Dame, followed by a youth vigil at the Stade de France. On Saturday comes the spectacle: an outdoor papal Mass centered on Place de la Concorde and the most beautiful avenue in the world, Champs-Élysées.
For a visiting American, it's difficult to imagine a more memorable setting. Notre-Dame itself only reopened in December 2024 after the devastating 2019 fire, while a papal Mass in the heart of Paris offers the possibility of seeing Leo amid one of the world's most recognizable cityscapes.
And, naturally, you could turn the visit into a wider Catholic pilgrimage. Among many Catholic sites, Paris has the Basilica of Sacré-Cœur, the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal — where the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Catherine Labouré — and the church of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont, where St. Geneviève, patron saint of Paris, is honored.
All this, of course, with the occasional croissant in between. After all, pilgrimage is demanding work.
Lourdes: Make it a pilgrimage
For something very different, there's Sunday. On September 27, the Pontiff is due to travel south to Lourdes, where the official program includes time at the Grotto and Mass on the sanctuary's vast prairie.
For Catholics who have always wanted to visit Lourdes, this is quite an opportunity. Instead of merely traveling across the Atlantic to glimpse the Pope, you could make the trip a genuine Marian pilgrimage and see him in the place where millions have come to pray since the apparitions of Our Lady to St. Bernadette in 1858.
And unlike Paris, where it may be tempting to squeeze another museum, monument, and pastry into every available hour, Lourdes invites a slower sort of visit: Mass, Confession, the baths and water founts, the candlelight Rosary procession, and time simply spent praying at the Grotto. Seeing Pope Leo there would make an already memorable pilgrimage rather difficult to forget.
Or head somewhere Americans might not normally go
Leo's final French stop may be the intriguing option for travelers who already know Paris and Lourdes. On Monday, September 28, he heads to Metz in northeastern France, where his journey concludes with Mass at the magnificent Gothic Cathedral of Saint-Étienne.
Metz doesn't normally compete with Paris or Lourdes for space on an American Catholic's first itinerary through France, which is precisely part of its charm. It offers the chance to discover another corner of the country while being present for the final celebration of Leo's four-day visit.
Before you start looking at flights...
There is one important caveat. The organizers describe the program as provisional, and as of mid-August, precise timings, exact arrangements for some gatherings and registration details are still being released. Anyone planning a trip around a particular papal event should therefore keep checking the official French website rather than booking everything around an assumed timetable. Here is the official website for Pope Leo XIV's visit to France
Still, for American Catholics already dreaming of a fall trip to Europe, the stars have aligned rather nicely. In his letter marking America's 250th anniversary, Pope Leo spoke of generations of Americans carrying forward their country's ideals through “sacrifice, service, innovation, and civic participation.” He ended by entrusting the nation to the Immaculate Conception, patroness of the United States.
Years from now, there will be photographs and footage of Pope Leo's first papal visit to France. But for those standing outside Notre-Dame, praying at Lourdes, or gathered beneath the great vaults of Metz Cathedral, the memories will be far more personal.
So if France has been sitting somewhere on your pilgrimage wish list, this might be the moment to move it considerably closer to the top.
