Pope Leo is set to begin his first papal state visit to France in 18 years, starting today in Paris. During his trip, he plans to address recent Catholic Church abuse scandals and give a significant speech on artificial intelligence at UNESCO headquarters. The Pope’s itinerary includes visits to Notre Dame Cathedral and the Lourdes shrine. French President Emmanuel Macron will meet with Pope Leo but won’t attend tomorrow’s mass in Paris, sparking discussion about secularism in France.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-25,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Pope Leo XIV drew 800,000 people to an open-air Mass in Paris, held at the iconic Place de la Concorde, on Saturday. The event was part of his four-day visit to France, aimed at promoting Catholic teachings amid a secular country. Despite sharp declines in church attendance over recent decades, the large turnout testified to the Church's enduring influence in France. However, the choice of Place de la Concorde as the venue for the Mass was criticized by supporters of France’s strict separation between church and state. As the Pope moved down the Champs-Élysées, cheering crowds waved Vatican flags and greeted him with chants like "Leo, Leo."
Written for “Pope Leo Paris Mass Crowd” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 36 other(s) covering the same event.
Morning opening: Pope Leo visits France to talk AI
Jakub Krupa
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Leo → visit → Krupa
Pope Leo will visit France this weekend, the first papal state visit to the country in 18 years, beginning with Paris today.
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Leo → visit → Paris
During the visit, Leo is expected to seek to repair the Catholic Church’s standing after abuse scandals in the country, as well as deliver a landmark speech on AI development at Unesco and talk about Europe’s future in Metz, with some other European leaders expected to attend.
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leaders → expect → Metz
He will visit the restored Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, as well as the famed Catholic shrine in Lourdes, among other places.
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He → visit → places
The Pope’s plane is now in French airspace and expected to land at Paris Orly airport in the next half hour.
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plane → expect → hour
I will keep an eye on his trip and keep you up to date.
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I → keep → date
Elsewhere, I will bring you all the updates from Ukraine and across the continent.
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I → bring → continent
It’s Friday, 25 September 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
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this → ’ → ?
Meanwhile, AP is reporting that in what will surely be seen as a swipe at Donald Trump, Pope Leo told reporters on board of his plane that they are always welcome to cover him, and affirmed the need for media scrutiny.
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they → report → scrutiny
These comments came in response to a question about Trump ban at the White House, AP is reporting.
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AP → come → House
Last night Macron gave a rare prime time TV interview, answering questions about all sorts of current issues.
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Macron → give → issues
Talking to TF1 and France2, he denied media reports from Spain that the US Central Intelligence Agency warned Paris of a potential Russian strike across southern Europe, from the Mediterranean (Europe Live, Thursday).
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Agency → talk → Mediterranean
“I can deny it.
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I → deny → it
The CIA did not inform French services,” he said.
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he → inform → services
But he still repeated his warning about Russia’s “growing” hostile activities in Europe, saying all sensitive sites in France are subject to additional protection.
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sites → repeat → protection
The French president also said that said any ban on US diesel exports backed by president Donald Trump would be a “bad” decision, including for the US economy.
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ban → say → economy
Interestingly, French president Emmanuel Macron will meet with Pope Leo this morning and host him at the Élysée Palace, but will not attend tomorrow’s mass at Place de la Concorde in Paris.
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Macron → meet → Paris
Former president Nicolas Sarkozy said the decision was Macron’s personal choice, adding that he would have attended if he were still in office.
“Some say that in the name of secularism, he shouldn’t go.
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he → say → secularism
That doesn’t make sense: secularism is a right, a right to believe or not to believe,” he said, quoted by BFM TV.
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he → make → TV
Pope Leo visits France to talk AI
Jakub Krupa
Pope Leo will visit France this weekend, the first papal state visit to the country in 18 years, beginning with Paris today.
asserted
Leo → visit → Paris
During the visit, Leo is expected to seek to repair the Catholic Church’s standing after abuse scandals in the country, as well as deliver a landmark speech on AI development at Unesco and talk about Europe’s future in Metz, with some other European leaders expected to attend.
asserted
leaders → expect → Metz
He will visit the restored Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, as well as the famed Catholic shrine in Lourdes, among other places.
asserted
He → visit → places
The Pope’s plane is now in French airspace and expected to land at Paris Orly airport in the next half hour.
asserted
plane → expect → hour
I will keep an eye on his trip and keep you up to date.
asserted
I → keep → date
Elsewhere, I will bring you all the updates from Ukraine and across the continent.
asserted
I → bring → continent
It’s Friday, 25 September 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
asserted
this → ’ → ?
The Aporia
