Worshippers attend Mass held by Pope Leo XIV via a live broadcast on a giant screen at Metz’s Saint-Étienne Cathedral on September 28 2026, the final day of the papal visit to France, Pope Leo’s second major visit to an EU nation.
Jean-Christophe Verhaegen/AFP
The Pope advocates for a Europe based on multilateralism and overcoming nationalism, while reasserting its Christian roots.
Prior to his apostolic trip to France, Pope Leo XIV visited Spain (pictured) in June 2026. The American-born Supreme Pontiff’s trip to France marks the country’s first papal visit since 2008.
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Young people, the challenges of AI and European affairs are set to head the agenda of the pope’s first official visit to France, from September 25 to 28.
The Schuman Plan in 1950 marked the beginning of European cooperation, laying the foundations for the EU as we know it today. Europe’s many milestones, such as the establishment of the European Economic Community, its expansion, and the adoption of the euro are the focus of the Historical Archives of the European Union which bears witness to Europe’s integration and construction and the institutions and pioneers behind them.
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The construction of Europe after WWII sought to promote political and economic cooperation among European nations. The Historical Archives of the European Union in Florence are a testimony to this.
Director of the Historical Archives of the European Union and Co-director of the Alcide De Gasperi Research Centre on the History of European Integration, European University Institute
Full professor at the University of Côte d’Azur, director of the master’s programme in “France-Italy Relations”. Associate fellow at the Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS, Paris) and adjunct professor at LUISS University (Rome), Université Côte d’Azur