Pope Leo XIV to Visit UNESCO and Restored Notre-Dame in Paris, September 25–26
On September 25-26, 2026, Pope Leo XIV is set to arrive in Paris, kicking off a four-day journey across France. His first engagement on September 25 will be at Orly Airport, followed by a meeting with President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace at 11 a.m. Later that day, at 3 p.m., he will visit UNESCO, marking the first papal visit since John Paul II in 1980, where he will tour the site and attend an art exhibition focused on peace. At 5:15 p.m., he will lead vespers at Notre-Dame Cathedral, the first pope to do so since its reopening in 2024. The day will end with a prayer vigil at Stade de France. On September 26, he will celebrate mass at Place de la Concorde before heading to Lourdes. On September 28, he will engage in interreligious dialogue in Metz and celebrate mass at Saint-Étienne Cathedral before returning to Rome.
Key facts
- Pope Leo XIV will visit Paris on September 25–26, 2026, as part of a four-day trip to France.
- He will be received at the Élysée Palace by President Emmanuel Macron at 11 a.m. on September 25.
- At 3 p.m. on September 25, he will visit UNESCO headquarters at the invitation of Director-General Khaled El-Enany.
- This is the first papal visit to UNESCO since John Paul II's speech in 1980.
- At UNESCO, he will view an exhibition of 80 artworks by students aged 6–20 on the theme of peace.
- A forum on youth in the digital age, focusing on AI, will be held at UNESCO from 9 a.m. to noon on September 25.
- He will preside over vespers at Notre-Dame Cathedral at 5:15 p.m. on September 25, becoming the first pope to visit since its 2024 reopening.
- The visit concludes with a prayer vigil at the Stade de France, a mass at Place de la Concorde, and a trip to Lourdes and Metz.
Entities
Artists
- Pope Leo XIV
- Emmanuel Macron
- Khaled El-Enany
- Jean-Paul II
- Pope Francis
- Bernard Zehrfuss
- Marcel Breuer
- Pier Luigi Nervi
- Paolo Benanti
- Alejandra López Gabrielidis
- Olivier Py
- Alexander Calder
Institutions
- UNESCO
- Élysée Palace
- France Télévisions
- Théâtre du Châtelet
- Vatican
- Stade de France
- Notre-Dame Cathedral
- Saint-Étienne Cathedral
Locations
- Paris
- France
- Orly
- Lourdes
- Metz
- Rome
- Italy
- Place de la Concorde
- Champs-Élysées