Metro stations and roads closed: How the pope's visit will disrupt Paris

Pope Leo XIV, during his inaugural visit to France, aims to strengthen ties with Eastern Christian communities, including those in the Middle East and beyond. His four-day apostolic journey kicks off in Paris on September 25, where he plans to pray at the historic Notre-Dame Cathedral, a site where a chapel dedicated to Eastern Christians stands as a testament to the connection between Western Catholicism and ancient churches from the Middle East, Armenia, Ethiopia, and India.

Monsignor Hugues de Woillemont, who oversees L'Œuvre d'Orient, emphasizes that this visit to the chapel will be particularly significant for communities that have suffered greatly in the Middle East due to war, displacement, economic crisis, and emigration. The chapel, originally dedicated to St George, was re-dedicated in May 2025 after the 2019 fire, featuring eight icons representing key figures from various Eastern Christian traditions.

Pope Leo's focus on Eastern Christianity comes after his first international apostolic journey to Türkiye and Lebanon, where he met with Catholic leaders, clergy, and youth, and attended an ecumenical and interreligious gathering in Beirut. Lebanon boasts one of the highest proportions of Christians in the Middle East and maintains a political system that reserves the presidency for a Maronite Christian.

This visit by Pope Leo to France, spanning from September 25 to 28, will not only address church matters but also engage with broader political and social issues. He is set to meet French President Emmanuel Macron, address civil society and the diplomatic corps, and speak at UNESCO before traveling through Paris. The Pope is also scheduled to participate in a youth prayer vigil at the Stade de France, deliver an outdoor Mass in the capital, and visit the Lourdes shrine, where he plans to meet survivors of clergy sexual abuse.

The French Catholic Church currently grapples with calls for accountability following an investigation in 2021 that estimated around 330,000 minors were sexually abused by priests, religious personnel, or lay people over seven decades. The Pope's itinerary will conclude in Metz, where he will speak on themes of peace, European unity, and the continent's role amidst ongoing conflicts and geopolitical tensions.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni highlights that the Pope's visit will emphasize faith, culture, and Europe, encompassing interactions with various political and international institutions.