France to deploy 850 extra officers for Pope Leo XIV's visit amid jihadist threat

Pope Leo XIV, who has been threatened in Islamic State propaganda, is scheduled to visit France from September 25 to 28, 2026. The trip comes amid growing concern about security, as the country continues to face a significant jihadist threat. The pope will travel to several cities, and large crowds of the faithful are expected.

French authorities are putting exceptional security measures in place to protect the pope and those attending the scheduled events. According to a report by the national police directorate, about 850 additional officers will be deployed at the Lourdes and Metz stops. The police special intervention unit RAID will also be mobilized, along with dog teams to detect explosives and plainclothes officers to reinforce surveillance.

Aerial and anti-drone surveillance

Security will not be limited to ground operations. Drones will be used to monitor the area, and anti-drone measures have been set up. In Lourdes, preparations have been under way since July 31, when the prefecture of Hautes-Pyrénées authorized the National Police to fly drones over the town and the shrine. The Interior Ministry has stressed the need to pay particular attention to densely populated areas and to the threat posed by drones.

France has mounted security operations on this scale before. During the pope's visit to Monaco on March 28, Rafale fighter jets and Fennec helicopters equipped for anti-drone operations were used.

Jihadist threat in France

Since January 2012, France has suffered 51 jihadist attacks, 25 of them deadly, leaving 275 people dead and more than 800 injured. The threat does not come only from operations organized abroad. There are also radicalized individuals inside the country, some of them very young, inspired by Islamic State propaganda and inclined to act with rudimentary means.

France's current alert level is "reinforced vigilance." The pope was also targeted in propaganda content during his visit to Spain in June 2026.

Itinerary and expected attendance

In France, the pope is scheduled to visit the Élysée Palace and Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris and to meet young people in Saint-Denis. The main event in Paris is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of the faithful, while about 150,000 people are expected in Lourdes on Sunday, September 27. The pilgrimage will end on September 28 in Metz.