Pope Leo XIV has announced plans for a September journey to France, adding another international destination to his packed 2026 travel calendar. The four-day visit, scheduled for September 25-28, will include a stop at the U.N. culture agency.
Vatican officials confirmed the trip on Saturday, marking what will be Leo’s fourth international journey this year. The Pope previously made a one-day visit to Monaco in March, traveled to four African countries in April, and has plans to visit Spain and the Canary Islands in June.
This French visit represents a shift from the approach taken by the late Pope Francis, who during his 12-year tenure avoided major European Christian centers and instead focused on visiting smaller Catholic communities distant from Rome. Leo’s decision to visit France suggests he is placing greater emphasis on European Catholic experiences, particularly as reports emerge of growing faith interest among young adults.
The UNESCO headquarters visit will provide Leo with a platform to address an international audience during a year when he chose not to travel to his native United States, where he could have spoken to the U.N. General Assembly as previous popes have done.
While Francis did visit France twice during his papacy, neither trip was an official state visit to Paris. His French visits included a 2014 day trip to Strasbourg where he addressed the European Parliament and Council of Europe, and a 2023 visit to the port city of Marseille for a migration conference.
Vatican sources indicate that a potential trip to Latin America, including Peru which Leo considers his beloved second home, remains under consideration for later this year but has not been confirmed.
