By Joshua McElwee
VATICAN CITY, 16 May (Reuters) – Pope Leo will travel to France from September 25 to 28, the Vatican announced on Saturday, and will visit the headquarters of UNESCO in Paris, which is facing budget deficits after the United States withdrew from the agency last year.
The first US pope, who marked a year leading the 1.4 billion-member Church on May 8, has been increasing his agenda and speaking more forcefully, drawing the ire of US President Donald Trump after criticizing the Iran war.
Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) upon his return to the White House resulted in a loss of 8% of its total budget, the agency said.
French bishops had said earlier this month that the pope would likely travel to the country in September, including to Paris and Lourdes, site of a famous Catholic shrine. However, they did not indicate that UNESCO would be part of the itinerary.
During the trip, the pope is also expected to celebrate a Mass at the famous Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, which reopened in 2024, five years after a devastating fire nearly led to the building’s collapse. UNESCO designated the cathedral a prestigious world heritage site in 1991.
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The trip to France will be Leo’s fourth outside Italy this year, following a four-nation tour of Africa, a visit to Monaco and an upcoming trip to Spain in June, where the pope is expected to encourage better treatment of migrants entering Europe.
The Vatican said a more detailed program for the visit to France would be announced later.
Leão is expected to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron during the trip and may also address the French Parliament.
Leo, former Cardinal Robert Prevost, counts French immigrants to the US among his ancestors.
(Reporting by Joshua McElwee)
