PARIS (IA Realist). On September 26, Pope Leo XIV began the second day of his visit to France. At 9 a.m., the pontiff visited the Paris center “Maison Bakhita” — a church center specifically providing social support and integration assistance to migrants and refugees. There, the Pope met with six migrants from Algeria, Belarus, Iraq, and Côte d’Ivoire, who practice Christianity and Islam.
During the meeting, the pontiff stated: “I am glad to begin the second day in Paris with you, in this house that bears witness to the whole city that ‘encounter and living together in dignity and peace are possible.'”
Meeting with Catholic Leaders
At 10:15 a.m., the Pope went to the Institut Catholique de Paris (Catholic University of Paris), where he met with members of provincial conferences, catechumens, and new converts. This meeting is particularly significant — France has seen a rise in adult baptisms after the pandemic: at Easter 2026, 13,000 adults were baptized.
Mass at Place de la Concorde
At 3 p.m., the Pope led an open-air Mass at Place de la Concorde and the adjacent Champs-Élysées. According to the Catholic Church, about 600,000 people registered for the Mass. This is one of the central events of the pontiff’s visit to France.
French President Emmanuel Macron will not attend the Mass, but several presidential candidates have confirmed their participation, including far-right leader Marine Le Pen and former center-right Prime Minister Édouard Philippe.
First Day and Further Program
On September 25, about 300,000 people greeted the Pope along the route of the “popemobile” to Notre-Dame Cathedral. In the evening, the pontiff celebrated the first papal vespers since the 2019 fire at the restored Notre-Dame, and then held a prayer vigil at the Stade de France with 80,000 young believers, calling them “the saints of France.”
After the Mass, the Pope will travel to the pilgrimage center of Lourdes in southwestern France, where he will pray at the Grotte de Massabielle. On September 27, the pontiff will celebrate Mass in Lourdes and meet with the French episcopate. On September 28, the final stop of the visit will be Metz near the Franco-German border, where the Pope will deliver a speech on peace and unity in Europe.
