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WorldMoving now · day 4

Pope Leo XIV departs for first papal visit to France in nearly 20 years

The four-day trip to Paris, Lourdes and Metz confronts clerical abuse scandals, assisted dying and a secular, election-bound France.

newest coverage 41m agosummary written 2d ago23 pieces2 likes & upvotes NewswiresMastodonGoogle News

What to know

  • First official papal visit to France since Benedict XVI in 2008, and the first formal papal visit to the country in nearly 20 years, coming amid fallout from a 2021 report on clerical abuse.
  • Trip motto 'That the world may have life' signals a focus on human dignity as the pope confronts a France that has constitutionally enshrined abortion and passed a new assisted-dying law.
  • Pope Leo XIV is due to meet seven abuse victims in Lourdes on September 27, a format already criticized by victim support groups.
  • Visit falls seven months before France's presidential election, with migration and secularism politically charged issues as Marine Le Pen's National Rally eyes the vote.

“I think nobody many months ago or a few months ago would have imagined”

Nathalie Becquart, Vatican official from France · Philadelphia Inquirer (AP) ↗ · Sep 20

Pope Leo XIV Head of the Catholic ChurchJean-Marc Aveline President, French bishops' conferenceMartin Dumont Secretary-general, French religion research instituteNathalie Becquart Vatican official from FranceMarine Le PenMarine Le Pen Leader, National Rally partyEmmanuel MacronEmmanuel Macron President of France

Pope Leo XIV departs for first papal visit to France in nearly 20 years
France 24 EN

How it unfolded 5 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articles

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Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22yesterdaynow · 8:50 AM ET
  1. background

    Pope Leo departs for France as Church seeks to repair standing — Reuters reports Pope Leo is heading to France on Friday for the first formal papal visit in nearly 20 years, with Catholic leaders hoping the trip will help repair the Church's standing after the 2021 report on clerical child abuse caused nationwide shock.

  2. 5

    Organizers expect huge crowds for pope's Paris appearance

    Euronews reports the trip will be the first official papal visit to Paris since Benedict XVI in 2008, with large crowds anticipated along the pope's popemobile route down the Champs-Élysées.

    1. 3 outlets first by Euronews, 2d ago · also UPI, Deutsche Welle EN · read ↗

  3. 4

    French Church prepares for pope's meeting with abuse victims

    France 24 reports the Catholic Church in France faces renewed scrutiny from recent scandals as final preparations are made for the pope's planned meeting with abuse victims during the visit.

    1. 1 outlet Pope Leo heads to France amid church scandals

      first by France 24 EN, 2d ago

  4. 3

    France finalizes security and logistics for the visit

    With four days to go before the pope's arrival, French organizers report months of preparation underway across Paris, Lourdes and Metz, with security identified as the top priority.

    1. 1 outlet Pope Leo XIV in France to find secular country at odds with Catholic views on abortion, euthanasia

      first by France 24 EN, 3d ago

      1 more headline
  5. 2

    AP details clash between French secularism and Catholic teaching

    AP reports the trip's motto, 'That the world may have life,' signals a focus on protecting human life as France recently enshrined abortion in its constitution and passed an assisted-dying law; bishops expect roughly 1 million people to see the pope.

    “We already know that the question of life and respect for life — not only from an ethical standpoint, but in many ways — is at the heart of the pope's message and aligns very closely with the message of the Gospel.”
    — Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline
    1. 1 outlet Pope Leo XIV in France to find a secular country at odds with Catholic teaching on life

      first by Philadelphia Inquirer, 3d ago

  6. 1

    Coverage previews the thorny issues facing the pope in France

    Reports outline the issues expected to hang over the visit: clerical abuse, France's new assisted-dying law, migration, and the trip's timing seven months before the presidential election.

    “the defence of the dignity of human life is at the heart of the Pope's message…”
    — Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline
    1. 1 outlet Pope's visit to France 'an important moment for the Vatican'

      first by France 24 EN, 2h ago

      1 more headline
    2. 1 outlet Pope Leo in France: the issues on the table

      first by Bangkok Post, 4d ago

  7. background

    Vatican announces Pope Leo will meet abuse victims in France — The Vatican said in August that Pope Leo XIV will meet victims of clerical sexual abuse during his France trip, following a 2021 inquiry that found around 330,000 minors were abused by clergy or lay Church members over 70 years.

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. 4 outlets Pope Leo heads to France as Church confronts shock of abuse crisis

    first by Daily Maverick, 2d ago · also The Pillar, National Catholic Reporter, Straits Times

    3 more headlines
  2. 2 outlets Pope Leo XIV's visit to France: Eight articles to understand the start of his papacy

    first by Le Monde EN, 2d ago · also France 24 EN

    2 more headlines

and 3 smaller pieces