Pope Leo XIV visits France amid Catholic revival, schism tensions and youth vigil
Pope Leo XIV’s visit to France, beginning Friday in Paris, spotlights a Catholic revival marked by rising baptisms among teenagers and adults, alongside deepening divisions within the Church. The first papal state visit in 18 years will include stops in Paris, Saint-Denis, Lourdes, and Metz, with a youth-focused vigil at the Stade de France expected to draw 80,000 of the nearly 1 million anticipated in the capital .
The visit comes as the Vatican’s excommunication of the schismatic Society of Saint Pius X has reignited tensions. The traditionalist group, which rejects Vatican II reforms and operates a network of schools in France, saw four bishops—including two Frenchmen—ordained without papal consent in July, prompting the bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes to bar SSPX from organizing events at the sanctuary during their annual pilgrimage .
In Paris, Leo XIV is scheduled to preside over vespers at Notre-Dame Cathedral, a historic symbol of French Catholic identity . The pope also plans to discuss the baptism surge with local Church officials, a phenomenon that has paralleled the growth of conservative factions .
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Notre-Dame de Paris, une cathédrale devenue théâtre politique où le pape Léon XIV devrait présider les vêpres Vendredi, Léon XIV devrait présider les vêpres dans la cathédrale. Lédifice religieux a forgé lidentité de lEglise française, devenant aussi un lieu de pouvoir au point dêtre surnommé la « paroisse de la nation ».
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