So That the World May Have Life: The Visit of Pope Leo XIV to France

France had been waiting for a long time for the visit of its Shepherd. Many held a deep desire to meet Pope Leo XIV. From September 25 to 28, 2026, this meeting became a reality in the cities of Paris, Lourdes, and Metz.

For me, this visit was a genuine opportunity for an “awakening” – an awakening that concerns not only Catholics, but one that has touched far beyond the borders of the Church.

In my mission as a hospital chaplain in Paris, I was particularly touched to see how interested sick people were in this visit. They spoke about it, followed the events, and expressed a desire to know what the Pope was saying. One patient even had the opportunity to participate in the outdoor Mass celebrated on the Place de la Concorde, as part of the gathering that brought together, according to the media, nearly 800,000 people—among whom were about 300 sick people or persons with disabilities accompanied by the ABIIF (Association of Stretcher Bearers and Nurses of Île-de-France).

Everywhere, a special atmosphere could be felt: a simple joy, an openness, a desire to welcome. Just like when someone we love comes to visit us, and we prepare ourselves to listen, knowing they come to bring us a word we need.

A Pope Who Reaches Hearts

The simplicity of Pope Leo XIV, his smile, his benevolent gaze, and his words—at once strong and deep—touched many people. His message reached those who were present as well as those following the events on television.

At the hospital, several patients spoke to me about it spontaneously. Some were particularly touched by his words. People of other religious traditions, notably Jewish individuals with whom I interact in my mission, also showed interest. Some asked me for the texts of his speeches. “It is magnificent!” one of them told me.

These reactions marked me deeply. They show that the Pope’s words can reach very different people when they touch upon what is deeply human: hope, fraternity, peace, the dignity of every person, and the desire for a more just and united world.

A Church Reunited

Another particularly striking moment was the meeting with the 8,000 religious men and women gathered at Notre-Dame for Vespers.

There was a profound sense of unity in that celebration. We were like children reuniting in the family home around their father: happy to meet, to share the same faith, and to receive a word that gathers us and sends us forth on mission once again.

This meeting served as a reminder that consecrated life, in all its diversity, remains called to be a presence, a testimony, and a service at the heart of the world.

The Faces of the Youth: A Sign of Hope

Among the images that will remain most strongly etched in my memory, however, are above all the faces of the young people and children.

Nearly 80,000 young people aged 17 to 35 gathered at the Stade de France for a prayer vigil with the Pope, around the theme “In the Footsteps of the Saints”.

They had not come only to pray. They also discovered or rediscovered the history of French saints—their lives, their struggles, their way of responding to God’s call, and of becoming witnesses to the Gospel in their own time.

These young people are a sign of hope. They show that faith is not a reality of the past. It can still reach new generations when offered to them as a path of life, freedom, fraternity, and encounter.

A New Momentum for the Church in France

One should not think that faith had disappeared or was completely hidden in France. For several years now, we have been witnesses to a spiritual renewal among young people and adults alike, through baptisms, conversions, vocations, and new forms of spiritual searching.

The visit of Pope Leo XIV gives a new momentum to this movement. It can encourage the Church in France to continue its path of evangelization, to be even more dynamic, creative, and close to the human realities of our time.

In Paris, Lourdes, and Metz alike, the gatherings showed a Church capable of coming together, celebrating, listening, and going out to meet those who seek.

For me, this visit will remain above all an experience of encounter: the meeting of the Pope with the people of France, meetings between generations, between cultures, and between different religious traditions—but also meetings with those who, in the fragility of illness or disability, continue to seek reasons to hope.

“So that the world may have life”: this theme then takes on a special meaning. It is not merely about transmitting a message, but about becoming oneself a bearer of life, hope, and fraternity.

The Pope’s visit has passed. But what it awakened can continue to live: in hearts, in communities, in families, among young people, among the fragile and sick, and at the heart of our society.

Perhaps this is the true challenge left to us: not simply to keep the memory of a beautiful encounter, but to let ourselves be renewed to become, where we are, witnesses of a hope that gives life.

I voluntarily kept your perspective as a chaplain: the patients, people of other religions, the sick accompanied to Mass, the religious, and especially the young people. This gives the article a personal and pastoral dimension rather than just a simple report of the visit.

Sr. Maria Esperanza OLARTE-MATEUS, OP – Dominican Sister of the Presentation in Paris