Pope Leo to receive French President Emmanuel Macron in the Vatican

Pope Leo and President Macron will meet in the Vatican on April 10, a few days after the celebration of the Resurrection and the Holy Father’s Urbi et Orbi address, but also three days before the Pope’s departure for Algeria, the first stop of the Holy Father's first Apostolic Journey to the African continent, scheduled from April 13 to 23.

The Director of the Holy See Press Office confirmed on Wednesday evening the meeting already announced by the Élysée Palace.

The Pope will receive the French president in a private audience, who will be accompanied by his wife, Matteo Bruni specified.

The two men have reportedly crossed paths in the past, notably during Pope Francis’s trips to France, in Marseille and Ajaccio, but this will be the first meeting between the Holy Father and President Macron since his election to the See of Peter.

At the Mass inaugurating the pontificate of Leo XIV, France was represented by the serving Prime Minister, François Bayrou.

The French president is nevertheless familiar with the protocol to follow. Papal audiences are traditionally held in the Library of the Apostolic Palace and are followed by meetings with the Secretary of State and the Secretary for Relations with States.