Pope Leo XIV Calls for Dignity and Peace at Paris Migrant Center
During his visit to the Maison Bakhita in Paris, Pope Leo XIV urged solidarity with migrants and highlighted the role of women in building peaceful communities, ahead of a massive outdoor Mass at the Place de la Concorde expected to draw 600,000 faithful.
Pope Leo XIV used the second day of his visit to France to make a powerful appeal for the dignity of migrants and the marginalized, speaking at a center dedicated to their support in Paris. The pontiff visited the Maison Bakhita, a social integration center named after Saint Josephine Bakhita, where he met with refugees and aid workers, emphasizing that true community is built on solidarity rather than exclusion.
Addressing those gathered at the center, the Pope said the name Bakhita serves as a reminder of the essential role women play in building a «civilization of love» as an alternative to a culture that fragments communities and leaves cities lonely. He thanked the center's staff, describing the facility as «a house that testifies to the whole city that it is possible to meet and live together in dignity and peace.»
The Pope's remarks carried a pointed message about how history is truly shaped. «The history of the Church and humanity is not written by those who seem to win by imposing themselves and occupying space, but by those who make space, initiate processes of peace, generate trust, and encourage life,» he said. He framed these as concrete decisions and investments made against the current, with growing public significance and promise for the future.
Leo XIV also drew attention to the plight of the vulnerable, stating that for Christians, the poor are not a sociological category but «the very flesh of Christ.» He elaborated that it is not enough to simply proclaim the doctrine of the Incarnation; one must recognize that the Lord becomes flesh that is hungry, thirsty, sick, and imprisoned. «The poor and crucified Christ allows himself to be encountered and loved in men and women who call us to step outside ourselves and dare to practice charity,» he added.
The visit to the Maison Bakhita began at 9 a.m. and included the unveiling of a commemorative plaque. The Pope was welcomed by the Archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, along with the center's director and the event coordinator. Following welcome remarks, the Pope listened to testimonies from an Afghan refugee and individuals assisted by the associations À Bras Ouverts and Aux Captifs la Libération. He encouraged the center's workers to continue their mission of «testifying to that care for one another which, through fraternal welcome, educational paths, and dialogue with the city, elevates the spirit and humanizes the world.»
Later in the day, the Pope is scheduled to meet with members of the Provincial Synodal Assembly, catechumens, and neophytes at the Catholic Institute of Paris. The day's central event, however, is a massive outdoor Mass at the Place de la Concorde, where organizers expect around 600,000 faithful to gather along the Champs-Élysées. This follows a prayer vigil held the previous evening at the Stade de France with thousands of young people.
In the late afternoon, around 5:45 p.m., Pope Leo XIV will depart from Paris-Orly Airport for Lourdes. He is expected to arrive around 7 p.m., with a prayer service planned at 7:40 p.m. at the Grotto of the Apparitions in Massabielle, within the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes. The visit underscores the Pope's focus on the peripheries and the Church's commitment to those on the margins of society.
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