France is preparing for a major event with the state visit of Pope Leo XIV from 25 to 28 September 2026. At the invitation of the French Head of State and the country’s ecclesiastical authorities, as well as the Director-General of UNESCO, the apostolic journey is highly anticipated, with historic highlights planned in Paris, Lourdes and Metz, as France TV has claimed in a statement.

Preparations are already underway around the official programme of the papal visit. On the first day, following the celebration of Vespers at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, a major prayer vigil with young people will be held at the Stade de France. The following day, the Mass presided over by Leo XIV on Place de la Concorde and along the Champs-Élysées will be a key event and a first of its kind in the heart of Paris, expected to bring together 500,000 people. The Pope’s journey will then continue to Lourdes, with a Mass on the meadow of the Marian sanctuary, before concluding in Metz, where the visit will focus on Europe and pay tribute to one of its founding fathers, Robert Schuman.

Production and international signal

As the official broadcaster of the visit, France Télévisions will be responsible for its production and broadcast operation. The public broadcaster will produce and make the international signal of the Pope’s visit available to all media outlets.

France Télévisions will deploy national and regional production teams across the different locations on the itinerary, including Paris, Lourdes and Metz. The broadcaster will combine live coverage from the locations with reports, interviews and special programming across its television and digital platforms.

The news teams will provide continuous coverage throughout the visit, with journalists and reporters on the ground. The group’s regional network will contribute through the ICI network, while France 3 Paris Île-de-France and the regional channels concerned will provide additional local coverage.

Digital platforms will also play a role, with franceinfo and france.tv offering live coverage, news updates and additional content throughout the visit. Social media teams will provide real-time updates and content across the group’s digital channels.

Television and digital programming

France Télévisions’ news department will provide live coverage of Pope Leo XIV’s visit across the group’s television channels and digital platforms, with special editions on France 2 and France 3 Paris Île-de-France, co-broadcast on franceinfo channel 16.

Friday 25 September

Julian Bugier will follow the Pope’s first day in Paris live, including his visit to Notre-Dame. Laurent Delahousse will present the 8pm news from the Stade de France, before Stéphane Bern and Léa Salamé host the evening prayer vigil with young people, broadcast in full on France 2.

Saturday 26 September

Leïla Kaddour will present a special edition of the 1pm news live from Place de la Concorde. From 1:30pm to 5pm, Julian Bugier, Léa Salamé, Stéphane Bern and David Milliat will host further special programming covering the Pope’s Mass live, with a number of guests.

Sunday 27 September

France Télévisions’ news programmes will follow the Pope’s visit to Lourdes, with reporters providing live coverage from the location.

Monday 28 September

Julian Bugier will host a special programme from 9:15am covering the Pope’s visit to Metz, from his arrival at the airport to his meeting with representatives of the three major religions and his address to invited heads of state and government. Following the 1pm news presented by Mélanie Taravant, another special programme at 2pm, hosted by Julian Bugier, Stéphane Bern and David Milliat, will cover the Mass celebrated by the Pope in Metz.

Throughout the weekend, France Télévisions’ news teams will remain deployed across the different stages of the visit, with special editions, reports and live broadcasts from Paris, Lourdes, Metz and Saint-Denis. A number of special correspondents and reporters will be on the ground, including Maryse Burgot, Jean-Baptiste Marteau, Valérie Lerouge, Madjid Chiât, Lise Vogel, Stéphanie Perez and Louise Ekland, alongside Paul-Luc Monnier, France Télévisions’ correspondent in Rome, who will follow the Pope throughout the visit.

The broadcaster will also feature a range of guests, including journalist and Vatican specialist Sophie de Ravinel, Vatican expert Jean-Pierre Denis, France Télévisions international politics editor Étienne Leenhardt, franceinfo journalist and former Rome correspondent Alban Mikoczy, and presenters and producers from ‘Le Jour du Seigneur’, including David Milliat and Frère Thierry Hubert.