Pope Leo XIV will close his visit to France in the city of Metz, TF1 Info reports. The trip's final stop has drawn attention, with the outlet examining why Metz was selected for the last leg of the journey.
According to franceinfo, the full schedule takes the pope from Paris to Lourdes before he travels on to Metz. The program spans multiple cities rather than a single destination.
In Paris, the visit is already affecting daily operations. Orange Actualités reports that access to the Hôtel-Dieu hospital will be restricted during the pope's time in the capital, and the CGT union has said that limitation poses a risk for patients.
The Paris leg also includes a large outdoor Mass. According to 20 Minutes, the pope will celebrate a giant Mass on the Champs-Elysées, a setting that has prompted questions about how the event fits with France's principle of laïcité, or secularism.
Public interest is not limited to the capital. Ouest-France reports that a family from Laval plans to travel to Paris to see Pope Leo XIV, with one member saying they feel they should be there to welcome him.
The sequence of the trip — Paris, then Lourdes, then Metz — is set out in franceinfo's account of the complete program.
What to watch next: further details of the Metz stop and how the Paris security and hospital-access arrangements develop as the visit approaches.
