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Pope Leo XIV begins a visit to France, with 80,000 young people expected in Paris
September 25, 2026
Pope Leo XIV is in France. Friday brings a Popemobile ride to Notre-Dame and a Stade de France evening with 80,000 young people.
Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Prevost in Chicago, leads the Catholic Church.
Key facts
- The BBC reports that Pope Leo XIV rides in the Popemobile past crowds to Notre-Dame on Friday afternoon, and that 80,000 young people are expected to join him that evening at the Stade de France, north of Paris.
Reuters reports that the pope landed at Paris Orly airport on Thursday for a trip running September 25 to 28, with AI and apologies for clergy abuse on his agenda. BBC carries the Friday program: a Popemobile ride past crowds to Notre-Dame in the afternoon, then an evening with 80,000 young people at the stadium in northern Paris, the Stade de France. The New York Times, in its headline, casts Leo as a pope trying to speak to everyone as he travels to a secular France.
NBC News, carrying Associated Press reporting, puts the security deployment at 14,000 police and 2,500 firefighters. The outlets agree on the itinerary and differ only in emphasis: Reuters leads with the agenda, BBC with the crowds and the stadium, and The New York Times with the pope's appeal in a secular country. The visit and its Friday events are corroborated; what the pope says on AI and clergy abuse is still to come.
Still developing
The evening at the Stade de France with young people is where the account stands by the time of draft.
How settled the reporting is
Sources
- Reuters — Pope Leo arrives in France with AI, apologies for clergy abuse on agenda - AOL.com
- BBC — Hundreds of thousands expected in Paris for Pope's visit
- NBC News — Pope Leo XIV arrives in France with a message of peace and human dignity
Toggle read the full reports of 4 of the 5 outlets counted on this event. The other 1 are counted from their headlines and opening sentences.