“MESSAGE OF PEACE”
The pope was greeted at the Paris Orly airport, under a clear blue sky, by President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte, and by children who sang for him and asked for autographs. During his visit, he will travel to the famed Catholic shrine at Lourdes, in the southwest, and to Metz, on the German border.
Pope Leo was due to lead a prayer service in Paris on Friday at the restored Notre-Dame cathedral, in the first visit by a pope since a devastating fire nearly destroyed the Gothic masterpiece in 2019.
Telling reporters on the plane to Paris that he was coming to convey a message of peace, he added: “It is a message which at this time, as we all may know, is particularly important.”
People lining the streets Pope Leo was due to pass through on his way to the Elysee held up phones and waved flags and signs.
“He brings a message of peace and hope that is very, very positive. His visit to France sends a wonderful signal to the country,” a Catholic passer-by, Antoine Barxias-Casties, said in front of Notre-Dame cathedral on the eve of Pope Leo’s visit.
Next on the pope’s agenda on Friday is a speech to staff at the headquarters of the UN culture and education body, UNESCO, which is facing budget shortfalls after US President Donald Trump withdrew from the agency in 2025.
The first US pope attracted Trump’s ire earlier this year after criticising the Iran war.
Asked about Trump’s attempt to bar CNN and several other outlets from the White House, Pope Leo, aboard the plane to Paris, reaffirmed his support for freedom of the press, saying all were welcome to cover his visit.
