Pope’s visit to France likely to attract 1M people, with Mass and vigil in Paris and Lourdes trip

PARIS -- PARIS (AP) — Pope Leo XIV’ s forthcoming trip to France, which marks the first official papal state visit to the country in 18 years, is expected to attract more than 1 million people, according to the Bishops’ Conference of France (CEF).The four-day visit, which starts on Sept. 25, will include popemobile rides, an open-air Mass in central Paris and a stop in Lourdes, one of Catholicism’s most important pilgrimage sites.The trip is “important for the country hosting him, but more broadly ... the pope will also have very important things to say to the entire world,” Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, president of the bishops’ conference, said on Tuesday.The visit will begin in Paris, where Leo will meet with President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace, before delivering a speech at the headquarters of UNESCO, the U.N.'s cultural agency.Leo will then travel by popemobile along a 2.5-kilometer (1.6-mile) route through central Paris as church bells ring across the city. Organizers say as many as 150,000 people could gather to welcome him.He will later celebrate vespers at Notre Dame Cathedral and end the day with a prayer vigil with young people at France’s national stadium.Crowd...