European unity and opposition to rearmament

On Monday, 28 September, Pope Leo XIV concluded his four-day trip to France with an address in Metz, the home of European Union founding father Robert Schuman. Speaking in French alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, the pontiff called for European reconciliation and stated that war had returned to the continent. He noted that negotiators seeking an end to conflict in Europe must show courage and give up specific positions to achieve peace, recalling an appeal made by Pope Benedict XV in 1917. Leo XIV rejected rising European military expenditures, urging governments to guard against the illusion that rearmament provides security. He also pressed European leaders to integrate arriving migrants and establish safe, legal pathways for immigration.

“We need... to show courage in negotiation and to be willing to give up some positions for the greater good of peace.”

Meetings with abuse survivors in Lourdes

On Sunday, 27 September, Leo XIV met privately in Lourdes with seven victims of clerical sexual abuse, spending 15 minutes with each survivor before a joint session. Five of the survivors, including Jean-Marie Delbos and Jérôme Guillement, stated after the meeting that the pope recognized the systemic nature of church abuse. Delbos questioned the pope about the Bétharram congregation and asked for its dissolution. During his return flight to Rome on Monday, Leo XIV qualified the discussions, stating that while certain Catholic organizations operated systematically in committing abuse, offenses primarily stem from individual perpetrators. France continues to address clerical abuse following the 2021 Ciase commission report, which estimated that 330,000 minors suffered abuse within the French church since 1950.

“Personally, I prefer to express it otherwise, even if I have indeed spoken of certain organizations within the Church that, at times, if one may say so, committed abuses as a system.”

Large gatherings in Paris and Saint-Denis

The papal itinerary drew extensive crowds across the Paris region during the initial stages of the visit. On Saturday, 26 September, Leo XIV celebrated an open-air mass at Place de la Concorde before an estimated 800,000 people, according to local authorities and Vatican figures, following initial registration caps of 500,000 and 600,000. An additional 300,000 people gathered along the papamobile transit route through Paris. At the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, 80,000 young people assembled for an evening gathering. The pontiff used these platforms to encourage French Catholics, address secularism, and state that legal measures such as assisted suicide and euthanasia do not equate to moral validity.

Place de la Concorde mass800,000

Papamobile route in Paris300,000

Stade de France youth gathering80,000

Place de la Concorde mass

800000 people

Papamobile route in Paris

300000 people

Stade de France youth gathering

80000 people

Data from the article text

Political reactions and visit timeline

French political figures offered contrasting interpretations of the papal visit and its messages on identity and faith. Members of Rassemblement National, including MEP Matthieu Valet and vice-president Sébastien Chenu, cited the pope's references to Christian roots and national heritage, while rejecting allegations of political appropriation. Representatives from Les Républicains, including party president Bruno Retailleau and vice-president François-Xavier Bellamy, similarly focused on the country's religious heritage. Former prime minister Gabriel Attal attended the mass at Place de la Concorde, describing the gathering as a moment of concord for the country. President Emmanuel Macron, who initially planned not to attend any religious services, joined the pontiff at the mass in Metz on Monday.