generation. New, I would say, not only in terms of age, but even more so in spirit, in the freedom of heart and faith. Young people who sang and shouted, but who also remained silent, listening. Attentive and emotional faces, which revealed hearts yearning for truth and love. To them I said with joy: “You are the saints of France!”. The Vigil was a great sign of hope. The same was true – in the smallness that God favours – of the meeting at the Maison Bakhita, a shelter for various people in need: one of the many places, fruits of the Gospel, where people commit themselves every day to serving the dignity of the human person with love. There is, however, a sign of renewal within the Church in France that has been evident for some years now, namely the remarkable and growing number of young people and adults seeking Baptism. In response to this beautiful “surprise” from God, a provincial synodal assembly is currently underway in Paris, at which I was able to speak, encouraging the journey of the catechumens and neophytes, together with the communities to which they belong. The climax of my visit to the Capital was the Mass in Place de la Concorde. There, the sign of rebirth appeared in a surprising way: the liturgical assembly, which in the vast Square brought together the priests, the choir and a remarkable crowd, extended all the way along the Avenue des Champs Élysées up to the Arc de Triomphe and beyond. At the moment of Communion, everyone was able to receive the Eucharist, which was distributed everywhere. This is the true reconstruction, the restoration of the Church that only God can bring about, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary. And so it was natural and proper that, after Paris, I should make a pilgrimage to Lourdes to venerate the Mother of the Church, Mary, she who, in the hour of passion and death, keeps alight the lamp of faith and hope. In Lourdes, the Lord, through the maternal care of the Virgin Mary, conveys to everyone, pilgrims and especially those who are sick in body and spirit, a message of hope and rebirth. A message that I wished to openly reaffirm: every human life, in whatever condition, even in the most extreme frailty, retains its inviolable dignity and deserves to be cared for, accompanied and relieved of suffering with human compassion and with the aid of the means offered by science. For this reason, Lourdes represents for the entire world a sanctuary of the civilization of love. In this context I met some people who were victims of abuse, and I asked them to help me express to other victims too my own wish, and that of the whole Church, to listen to them and walk alongside them as they seek healing, acknowledging the pain inflicted upon their lives and working to prevent abuse. The third and final stage of the Apostolic Journey was the city of Metz, in a region of France and Europe ravaged by the Second World War. It was there that Robert Schuman, one of the principal inspirers of the process of European unification, carried out his work. Contemporary Europe was indeed born as a project for peace in the wake of the destruction wrought by war. We might say that what happened to Notre-Dame in Paris with the fire was what had happened to Europe during the Second World War. And Europe was reborn, founded on those principles of democracy, solidarity and fraternity amongst peoples, which owe much to its Christian roots. Even today, it is on these foundations and with this vital “lifeblood” that the European project can be renewed, in a far more globalized world, where interreligious dialogue plays a role of primary importance. For this reason, at Metz, I met with the representatives of various religious traditions, who read and signed in my presence the “Metz Appeal” for dialogue and peace. Dear friends, the theme of my pastoral Visit to France was “Pour que le mode ait la vie”, “That the world may have life” (cf. Jn 6:51). They are Jesus’ words, which encapsulate His entire mission of salvation and which, during the Journey, fully expressed the Gospel meaning of every encounter. May they now inspire our prayer, as we ask God that this event of grace may bear abundant and lasting fruit. Picture of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV from Welcome, Pope Leo XIV: https://marian.org/articles/welcome-pope-leo-xiv Excerpt of General Audience of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on September 30, 2026::https://www.vatican.va/content/leoxiv/en/audiences/2026/documents/20260930-udienza-generale.html
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