Pope Leo XIV to visit France in September this year (and Spain next month – schedule released)
Pope Leo XIV will make an Apostolic Journey to France on 25-28 September this year, marking the first official papal state visit to the country in 18 years.
Vatican News – Link to story
Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to make an Apostolic Journey to France from 25 to 28 September 2026, according to an announcement from the Director of the Holy See Press Office.
This visit will be the first time a Pope has traveled to France on an official papal state visit since Pope Benedict XVI in 2008, when he journeyed to Paris and Lourdes.
The journey comes as a response to the invitations made by the Head of State, the ecclesiastical authorities of the country, and the Director-General of UNESCO, the Press Office statement noted.
During the Apostolic Journey, the Pope will visit the headquarters of UNESCO.
Vatican-France connections
Pope Leo and French President Emmanuel Macron met on April 10 for the first time since the pontiff’s election to the See of Peter.
President Macron met with Pope Leo on April 10, 2026 (@Vatican Media)
However, it was not the president’s first papal audience. Since his election in 2017, President Macron has made several visits to the Vatican, where he was received in 2018, 2021, and 2022 by Pope Francis.
The two men met again during private talks in Marseille in September 2023, at the Borgo Egnazia G7 summit in June 2024, and then in December 2024 in Ajaccio.
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Details of the Pope’s upcoming visit to Spain next month:
Schedule for Pope’s Apostolic Journey to Spain released
A month ahead of Pope Leo XIV’s departure for Spain, the Holy See Press Office releases the full schedule for the journey, which will take him to Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary islands, and see him bless the tallest tower of the Sagrada Familia basilica.
By Alexandra Sirgant – Link to story
The Holy See Press Office on Wednesday confirmed the schedule for the Pope’s upcoming Apostolic Journey to Spain, which will feature twelve speeches, four Masses, and around ten meetings with political, ecclesial, and civic leaders.
There will be three main stops: Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands.
Pope Leo XIV will arrive in the Spanish capital on June 6, and be welcomed by King Felipe VI at the Royal Palace. He will then meet with government authorities, civil society representatives, and the diplomatic corps. That evening, he will lead a prayer vigil with young people in central Madrid’s Plaza de Lima.
The following day, on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, the Pope will celebrate Mass in the iconic Plaza de Cibeles, meet privately with members of the Order of Saint Augustine, and later take part in a gathering with representatives of culture, the arts, business, and sport at Madrid’s Movistar Arena.
On Monday, June 8, the Pope will meet Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in the morning, before addressing members of parliament at the Congress of Deputies. He will then meet with bishops at the headquarters of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference and, in the evening, join the local diocesan community at the Bernabéu Stadium.
Read also
Pope Leo welcomes King and Queen of Spain to Rome
Inaugauration of the Sagrada Familia
The Pope will travel to Barcelona on June 9 for one of the central moments of the trip: the inauguration and blessing of the Tower of Jesus Christ, part of the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia.
The tower, the tallest in the basilica, crowns the landmark church, which was consecrated 16 years ago by Pope Benedict XVI. Often described as a “Bible in stone,” the basilica was designed by the renowned Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, whose legacy is being commemorated this year on the centenary of his death.
Migration and the Canary Islands
Alongside liturgical celebrations and official ceremonies, the Pope will once again highlight his concern for marginalized communities. In Madrid, he will visit a homeless shelter, and in Barcelona, a prison facility. Then, during the final leg of the journey, migration will take centre stage.
On June 11, the Pope will fly to the Canary Islands, volcanic islands off the northwest coast of Africa that serve as a major maritime entry point for migrants heading to Europe. In both Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, he will celebrate Mass and encourage those working on the front lines of migrant reception and assistance.
Fifteen years after Pope Benedict XVI’s visit, Pope Leo XIV is eagerly awaited by the Church in Spain. When the trip was first announced in late February, the president of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Luis Argüello, expressed the bishops’ joy in a videomessage, and invited the faithful to “open their ears and hearts” to welcome the Pope. Leo XIV’s visit, he said, is meant “to confirm the brothers and sisters in the faith of the Church, which then becomes hope and charity in the concrete life of our communities.”