Emmanuel Macron will finally attend the mass celebrated by Pope Leo XIV in Metz on Monday, having initially planned to stay away from the religious ceremony. The French President reorganized his schedule to participate in this final day of the Pontiff’s visit to France. This appearance takes place in Moselle, one of the three departments in Alsace-Moselle where the concordat regime inherited from 1801 still applies.
The Moselle department was not affected by the 1905 law on the separation of Churches and the State, following its annexation by Germany between 1871 and 1918. In these territories, the State still pays the salaries of Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish clergy. The local regime also provides for religious education in public institutions and two additional public holidays: December 26th and Good Friday.
The French President’s decision comes as his relationship with the Catholic religion has already sparked debate. Educated in a Jesuit school and baptized at his own request at the age of 12, Emmanuel Macron now defines himself as an agnostic. He attended a mass celebrated by Pope Francis in Marseille in 2023, which drew criticism in the name of secularism. At the time, he explained that he was participating as President of the Republic and not as a Catholic.
In Metz, Pope Leo XIV’s day will not be limited to the mass. The Pope met with representatives of several religions at the Robert Schuman Convention Center and called for religious discourse to help “disarm hearts and words.” This meeting was marked by the reading of the “Metz Appeal,” a joint declaration in favor of interreligious dialogue and peace.
The day also has a European dimension. Leo XIV is set to pay tribute to Robert Schuman, a figure of European construction and a Catholic personality, while several European leaders are expected at a meeting dedicated to peace and the roots of Europe. Following this, the Pope is scheduled to travel in the Popemobile before celebrating mass at the Saint-Étienne Cathedral in Metz, in front of thousands of expected faithful.
Captured & Published at: 2026-09-28 13:38:47 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.2424.mg/visite-papale-emmanuel-macron-finalement-present-a-la-messe-celebree-par-le-pape-leon-xiv-a-metz-en-terre-concordataire/