Visit will be first papal state trip to Paris since Benedict XVI's in September 2008
Pope Leo XIV will travel to France for an official state visit from September 25 to 28, the Vatican announced on Saturday, the first such trip by a pontiff in 18 years.
The first pope from the United States, elected in May 2025, will also travel to Paris to visit to the headquarters of UNESCO, the United Nations culture agency, the Vatican said in a statement.
The visit will come after a trip to Spain in June, underscoring the pope’s interest in engaging with historically Catholic but increasingly secular European countries that had been largely overlooked by his predecessor, Francis.
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