Pope Leo XIV arrived in France on September 25, 2026, drawing an estimated 80,000 young people to the Stade de France for a prayer vigil. The visit marks the first official papal state journey to the country in 18 years, centering on the role of faith in a fiercely secular republic.
Rock Star Reception at the Stade de France
Eighty thousand young Catholics packed into the Stade de France on the evening of September 25, 2026, delivering an exuberant welcome to Pope Leo XIV. Arriving in his papamobile around 21:00, the pontiff was greeted by a wall of sound as crowds chanted his name.
The massive gathering blended modern Christian pop-louange music with theatrical historical pageantry. Costumed actors reenacted scenes featuring Sainte-Blandine facing Roman soldiers and Jeanne d’Arc surrounded by knights, complete with horse-drawn floats and rooftop fireworks. Artists including Canadian singer Natasha St-Pier, Grégory Turpin, and the group Les Frangines performed before the papal address.
“Merci pour votre courage, merci pour votre présence, merci pour votre foi. Vous êtes les saints de France !”
Pope Leo XIV, via France24
Pia Machet carried a sign reading Pas besoin de prolongation, on a l’éternité
(No need for extra time, we have eternity), while her friend displayed a placard joking Je peux pas ce soir, j’ai pape
(I can’t tonight, I have the pope).
Dialoguing With French Secularism at the Élysée Palace
Beyond the stadium crowds, Pope Leo navigated France’s strict institutional framework known as laïcité
. On his first official papal state visit to France in 18 years, the pontiff met with government officials and civil society leaders at the Élysée Palace to address the historical friction between the republic and the Catholic Church.
The pope argued that the country’s secular tradition does not require expelling religion from public life. Instead, he maintained that the state and religious institutions should cooperate to serve the common good.
“An authentic secularity, then, consists not in excluding religion from the public sphere or from education, but in striving to ensure that the state and religious institutions maintain dialogue and join forces in the service of the common good.”
Pope Leo XIV, via Usccb
French President Emmanuel Macron echoed that view during the welcome ceremony, stating that French secularism is in no way the negation of religion
and guarantees the right to believe or disbelieve in both private and public spheres.
Surging Adult Baptisms and Historical Contradictions
The papal visit coincides with a notable demographic shift within French Catholicism. According to the French bishops’ conference, more than 13,200 adults were baptized in France in 2026, marking a 28% increase from the previous year and tripling the figures recorded a decade ago. Forty-two percent of those newly baptized are between 18 and 25 years old.
Florian Michel, a historian and theologian at the Sorbonne, noted that the relationship between France and the church remains defined by deep historical contradictions. While the 1905 law formally separated church and state, the French government continues to fund maintenance for historic buildings like Notre-Dame Cathedral, and the French president retains the ancient honorary title of canon of the Basilica of St. John Lateran.
Meetings With Clergy Abuse Survivors and Continuing Itinerary
The apostolic journey continues with major open-air events. Following vespers at Notre-Dame Cathedral and his meetings in Paris, the itinerary includes a large mass on the Champs-Élysées anticipated to draw crowds, followed by subsequent stops in Lourdes and Metz.
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