Pope Leo XIV described his recent pastoral journey through France as a journey of “rebirth,” using Notre-Dame Cathedral’s restoration as a symbol for renewal in the Church and Europe. In a general-audience catechesis on September 30, he connected the visit’s events in Paris, Lourdes and Metz with the dignity of every person, peace, and the Gospel’s promise of life.

Notre-Dame as a symbol of renewal

Leo said the restored Notre-Dame Cathedral, badly damaged by fire seven years earlier, represented rebirth. He pointed to its reconstruction as an example of cooperation among the Church, the state, public institutions and civil society, and said such collaboration should serve the common good and be grounded in human dignity.

The cathedral also represented the Church as a community of “living stones,” he said. Leo linked a Marian Vespers service at Notre-Dame with a youth vigil at the Stade de France, describing both as expressions of a Church made up of people who love Christ; he called the young people “the saints of France” and the vigil a sign of hope.

He also highlighted the Maison Bakhita, a shelter serving people in need, and the growing number of young people and adults seeking baptism in France. During his visit, he addressed a provincial synodal assembly in Paris and encouraged catechumens, newly baptized people and their communities.

Lourdes: dignity, care and healing

At a Mass in Place de la Concorde, Leo described the large congregation—extending along the Champs-Élysées—as a sign of the Church’s restoration, which he said “only God can bring about.” He then traveled to Lourdes, where he presented Mary as a source of hope for pilgrims, particularly people who are ill or suffering.

Leo said every human life retains inviolable dignity, including in extreme frailty, and deserves care, accompaniment and relief from suffering through compassion and the means offered by science. He called Lourdes a sanctuary of the “civilization of love” and said he met abuse survivors, asking them to help convey the Church’s desire to listen to victims, accompany them toward healing and work to prevent abuse.

Metz and Europe’s peace project

In Metz, a region marked by the devastation of the Second World War, Leo recalled Robert Schuman’s role in the process of European unification. He described postwar Europe as a project for peace built on democracy, solidarity and fraternity among peoples, principles he said draw on Europe’s Christian roots.

He called for renewing the European project in a globalized world and emphasized the importance of interreligious dialogue. In Metz, representatives of different religious traditions read and signed the “Metz Appeal” for dialogue and peace in his presence.

The journey’s theme

The journey’s theme was Pour que le monde ait la vie—“That the world may have life”—drawn from the Gospel of John. Leo said the words expressed the meaning of Jesus’ mission and the Gospel significance of the journey’s encounters, and prayed that the visit would bear lasting fruit.