Pope Leo XIV will travel to France from September 25 to 28, the Vatican has confirmed, in what will be the first official papal state visit to the country for 18 years.

The visit was announced on May 16 by Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office. The Vatican said the journey was being made in response to invitations from the French head of state, the country’s ecclesiastical authorities and the director-general of UNESCO.

During the apostolic journey, Pope Leo is expected to visit UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The Holy See has not yet released the full itinerary.

The trip will mark the first time a pope has travelled to France on an official papal state visit since Pope Benedict XVI visited Paris and Lourdes in 2008. Pope Francis made shorter visits to Strasbourg in 2014, Marseille in 2023 and Ajaccio, Corsica, in December 2024, but did not make a formal state visit to France.

Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline of Marseille, president of the French bishops’ conference, welcomed the announcement, saying: “Leo XIV is coming to France: it is a great joy, but also a great responsibility.” The French bishops have launched a website to share details of the visit as preparations continue.

Earlier this month, the French bishops’ conference said a September visit was expected but did not give precise dates. Possible stops discussed by French Church leaders included Paris and the Marian shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, although these have not yet been formally confirmed by the Vatican.

In Lourdes, Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of Tarbes and Lourdes said a preliminary programme had been developed with the French bishops’ conference and the Archdiocese of Paris. He said plans under discussion included a solemn Mass at the sanctuary and a torchlight procession, though he stressed that Vatican confirmation was still awaited.

In Paris, Pope Leo is also expected to visit Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Collège des Bernardins, though those stops have likewise not been officially confirmed. Benedict XVI visited the Collège des Bernardins during his 2008 journey to France, when he addressed figures from cultural and political life.

The Vatican announcement comes a little over a month after Pope Leo met President Emmanuel Macron on April 10, their first meeting since the Pope’s election. Vatican News noted that President Macron had previously been received by Pope Francis in 2018, 2021 and 2022, and had met him again in Marseille, at the G7 summit in Italy and in Ajaccio.

The France visit will be Pope Leo’s fifth international apostolic journey.

Further details of the September visit are expected to be released by the Holy See in due course.