Pope Leo XIV to trace back French ancestry, spiritual roots on visit to France
Summary
Pope Leo XIV, who was born in Chicago and has French family roots in Normandy, is visiting France for four days. The visit includes public events in Paris and Lourdes and is seen as a return to his spiritual and ancestral origins.Key Facts
- Pope Leo XIV arrives in Paris for a four-day visit to France.
- He has family roots in Normandy, France, through his great-grandmother Suzanne Louise Marie Fontaine.
- Suzanne emigrated to the US in 1915 during World War I.
- The pope’s father served in the US Navy during World War II and landed in Normandy on D-Day.
- Pope Leo XIV is about 40% French, with heritage also from French Canada and the French Caribbean.
- The visit includes an open-air Mass on the Champs-Élysées and a stop at the Sanctuary of Lourdes.
- He will visit Metz, the home of a 17th-century monk who influenced him spiritually.
- The pope is studying French but currently speaks it only at a basic level.
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