A highly anticipated three-day visit by Pope Leo XIV to France will involve prayers at Notre-Dame Cathedral and offer support for Christian communities in the Arab world, The National has been told.
In his first visit to France since the start of his tenure last year, Pope Leo is scheduled to hold a meeting with President Emmanuel Macron, who will greet him at the airport on Friday.
Pope Leo will then visit Unesco headquarters and drive in the Popemobile through the centre of Paris before leading prayers at the recently renovated Notre-Dame, which was rebuilt over five years after a devastating fire in 2019.
The reopening of the cathedral in December 2024 coincided with the unveiling of a chapel dedicated to Christian denominations in the Middle East and Asia at the request of the Archbishop of Paris.
The chapel is one of 29 chapels inside the cathedral and was previously solely dedicated to St George. It was redesigned by the Christian association L'Oeuvre d'Orient, which operates under the protection of the archbishop.
“We took advantage of the renovation to place icons inside – eight icons representing the various eastern churches – and, of course, it is open to visitors,” L'Oeuvre d'Orient director Monsignor Hugues de Woillemont told The National.
Eastern roots
The icons are linked to the historic cradles of Christianity, including Jerusalem and Baghdad, as well as Armenia, Ethiopia, and India. Its diversity highlights the richness of the Church and aims to remind Christian pilgrims and visitors alike of Christianity's eastern roots, according to L'Oeuvre d'Orient.
“This will be a significant moment. Pope Leo will visit and pray in this chapel and afterwards he will also be able to greet representatives of the eastern churches present in France,” Mgr de Woillemont said.
“It was St John Paul II who said that the Church must breathe with its two lungs: the eastern lung – the first to set out from Jerusalem to evangelise – and the western lung.”
The number of Christians in the Middle East, a Muslim-majority region, has dwindled in recent decades.
In a show of support, Pope Leo chose Lebanon, which has the biggest Christian population in the region, as his first destination abroad in December. In 1997, Pope John Paul II famously stated that Lebanon was “more than a country: it is a message of freedom and an example of pluralism for East and West”.
Lebanon was also the reason behind the founding in 1858 of L'Oeuvre d'Orient with the aim of supporting Christian schools. It has since expanded its activities to other countries in the region. Last year, it rebuilt two churches destroyed by ISIS in Mosul, Iraq.
“I greatly admire the Christians – who are still numerous – who have decided to remain in their countries. This is very important, not only for religious reasons regarding the Christian presence there, but also because these Christians play a part in the history of these countries,” Mgr de Woillemont said. “If they were to disappear, a whole chapter of history would be lost.”
'Great gift'
Speaking of Pope Leo's visit, Mgr de Woillemont said it was a “great gift” to France.
Pope Leo was invited by the French Church, the French government and Unesco for what will be a simple apostolic visit and not a state visit, despite being due to give a speech at the Elysee after his arrival on Friday morning. Mr Macron will not be attending any of the masses celebrated by Pope Leo during his stay in France.
The Vatican declined an offer by Mr Macron for Pope Leo to meet artisans involved in Notre-Dame Cathedral's reconstruction due to a tight agenda, the Elysee said. It was inaugurated in December 2024 in the presence of a number of world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, after years of work to repair damage sustained in the fire. Pope Leo's predecessor, Pope Francis, declined an invitation to attend the celebrations.
On Saturday, Pope Leo is expected to give an open-air Mass to 600,000 people on the Champs-Elysees and the Place de la Concorde in Paris, before heading the next day to Lourdes, a famous pilgrimage site. He is then scheduled to give a speech on world peace on the last day of his visit, in the eastern city of Metz, in the presence of European leaders.
An adviser to Mr Macron said the relationship with Pope Leo had been forged through international crises, including the war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East, as well as global issues such as AI and climate change.
“What is certain is that France has long held a very clear position regarding the protection of Christians in the Middle East. There is a close partnership with them,” they said.
