Pope to visit UNESCO during September trip to France

Pope Leo will travel to France from September 25 to 28, the Vatican announced on Saturday, and will visit the Paris headquarters of UNESCO, which is facing budget shortfalls 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 ramping up his schedule  and speaking more forcefully, attracting 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) following his return to the White House resulted in a loss of 8% of its total budget, ​the agency has said. French bishops had said earlier this month  said earlier this month  that the pope was likely to travel to the country in September, including to Paris and Lourdes, site of a famed Catholic shrine. However, they did not indicate UNESCO would be part ​of the itinerary. During the trip, Leo is also likely to celebrate mass at the famed Notre-Dame Cathedral in ​Paris, which reopened in 2024, five years after a devastating fire nearly brought the building to collapse. UNESCO designated the ‌cathedral ⁠as a prestigious World Heritage site in 1991. The trip to France will be Leo’s fourth outside Italy this year, following a four-nation Africa tour, 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 French visit ⁠would be announced later. Leo is expected to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron during the trip and may also address the French parliament. The last pope to make ​an official visit to France was Benedict XVI, in 2008. The late Pope ​Francis, who died ⁠in April 2025 after 12 years leading the Church, traveled to French territory three times but never made an official visit to the country. Francis made a day-trip to Strasbourg in 2014 to address the European Parliament and Council ⁠of ​Europe, a two-day visit to Marseille in 2023 to speak at ​a conference, and a day visit to Corsica in 2024 to visit Catholics on the Mediterranean island. The post Pope to visit UNESCO during September trip to France appeared first on Egyptian Gazette.