Pope Leo XIV sees signs of hope for the Church in France

Pope Leo XIV devoted his general audience on Wednesday, September 30, in St. Peter's Square to his impressions of the apostolic trip to France. He called the visit a "great gift" for himself and for the people of God in France, and thanked the civil authorities, the pastoral leaders and the many faithful who came out to meet him.

The pope built his account around one symbol: Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, where he presided at Vespers of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The liturgy was both solemn and festive, and brought those present together in prayer amid the music and the beauty of the building. "I would like to gather the thoughts and impressions, still very vivid, of this pastoral visit around a single great symbol: the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris," he said.

The pope used the fire that gutted Notre-Dame seven years ago as an image of the renewal the Church can undergo. "It has now been rebuilt and shines more splendidly than ever," he said. The restoration of the cathedral, he added, had shown that real cooperation between the Church, the state and civil society is possible. "Working together for the common good should be the normal way institutions operate," he said.

The pope also described the vigil with young people at the Stade de France as a "great sign of hope." The setting was very different from Notre-Dame, he said, but the two events were spiritually joined. "The Church is not made of stones or cement, but of people who love Jesus Christ because they have been loved by him," he said, referring to the faith and the energy of the young French people who filled the stadium.

The pope pointed to the growing number of young people and adults asking for baptism in France, which he read as a sign of renewal in the Church. During his stay in Paris he took part in a provincial synodal assembly and encouraged catechumens and the newly baptized. "The high point of my visit to the capital was the Mass in the Place de la Concorde," he said, describing how the congregation stretched along the Avenue des Champs-Élysées as a visible expression of that restoration.

The visit ended in Lourdes, where the pope venerated the Virgin Mary. There he repeated his commitment to listen to and support victims of abuse, and acknowledged the suffering they carry. "For the whole world, Lourdes is a shrine of the civilization of love," he said at the Marian shrine.

The pope closed his catechesis by turning to Europe. He recalled that the European project was born out of the ruins of the Second World War, and he called for interreligious dialogue to keep nourishing peace and solidarity among peoples. "On those foundations and with that vital force, the European project can be renewed," he said.