The Vatican said on May 16 that Pope Leo will make a pastoral visit to France from September 25 to 28, and the itinerary will include a stop at UNESCO's Paris headquarters. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has reported budgetary pressure after the United States withdrew from the agency last year, a move the agency says reduced its overall funding by 8%.
Marking one year leading the 1.4-billion-member Church on May 8, the first U.S. pope has increased the pace of international engagements and adopted a more assertive public voice on international matters. That posture has prompted public criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump following the pope's comments on the Iran war.
French bishops had indicated earlier in the month that a papal visit to France was likely in September, with stops anticipated in Paris and Lourdes, the site of a well-known Catholic shrine. At that time, they did not specify whether UNESCO would be included on the agenda. The Vatican statement on May 16 confirmed UNESCO as part of the planned program.
During the Paris portion of the trip, Pope Leo is also expected to celebrate Mass at Notre-Dame Cathedral, which reopened in 2024 after being heavily damaged by a fire five years earlier. UNESCO designated Notre-Dame as a World Heritage site in 1991.
The upcoming France visit will be the pontiff's fourth trip outside Italy this year. Earlier travels this year included a multi-country tour of Africa, a visit to Monaco, and a scheduled trip to Spain in June, where the pope is expected to speak about treatment of migrants entering Europe.
The Vatican said it will publish a more detailed program for the French visit at a later date. Among the engagements the statement cited, Pope Leo is expected to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and may address the French parliament.
On the question of precedent, the Vatican noted that the last pope to make an official visit to France was Benedict XVI in 2008. The late Pope Francis, who died in April 2025 after 12 years leading the Church, traveled to French territory on three occasions but did not make an official state visit to the country. Those trips included a day visit to Strasbourg in 2014 to address the European Parliament and the Council of Europe, a two-day trip to Marseille in 2023 to speak at a conference, and a day visit to Corsica in 2024 to meet local Catholics.
Pope Leo, previously Cardinal Robert Prevost, has family roots that include French immigrants to the United States, the Vatican noted. As planning continues, the Vatican's promise of a fuller schedule will determine the precise mix of religious services, diplomatic meetings and public addresses during the four-day visit.
Context for markets and sectors
- UNESCO's budgetary shortfall has implications for international organizations and cultural heritage funding.
- Notre-Dame's reopening in 2024 and the planned Mass may influence tourism and heritage restoration sectors in Paris.
- Papal visits and meetings with heads of state can affect public diplomacy and relations between the Vatican and national governments.