Articles

Léon XIV en France : Lourdes affiche complet, les foules sont déjà au rendez-vous

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  150 000 pèlerins attendus English summary Three weeks before Pope Leo XIV’s apostolic journey to France, enthusiasm is already exceeding expectations. Registration for the Lourdes celebrations has officially closed after the sanctuary reached its maximum capacity of 150,000 pilgrims. The 80,000 places for the Pope’s youth vigil at the Stade de France were taken in less than an hour, while hundreds of thousands have registered for the open-air Mass in central Paris. The visit will also include an exceptional event: the Holy Tunic of Argenteuil, traditionally venerated as Christ’s garment during the Passion, will be brought to the Stade de France for prayer with the Pope and young people. These figures do not prove a return of France to Catholic practice, but they confirm the existence of a highly mobilised Catholic population at a time when adult baptisms and youth gatherings are also increasing. Saint du jour : saint Bertin, l’abbé qui évangélisa les Morins Parmi les saints fêtés...

Bétharram : à Lourdes, Léon XIV recevra des victimes, mais pas leur collectif

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  À Lourdes, le pape recevra des victimes, mais pas le collectif de Bétharram. . English summary During his visit to Lourdes on 27 September, Pope Leo XIV will privately meet victims of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. However, no victims' association — including the main Bétharram collective — will be received as an official delegation. Church authorities say the Pope wants a personal encounter with a small and diverse group of survivors. The Bétharram collective, located only a few kilometres from Lourdes, has expressed deep disappointment, arguing that it hoped not merely to testify but to present concrete proposals for reform. Le déplacement de Léon XIV à Lourdes, le dimanche 27 septembre 2026 , comportera bien un geste particulièrement attendu : une rencontre privée avec des personnes victimes de violences sexuelles dans l’Église. Mais cette rencontre ne prendra pas la forme souhaitée par le principal collectif des victimes de Notre-Dame de Bétharram. Vendredi 4 septem...

Filles à l’autel : Léon XIV bouscule une particularité française

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Une petite révolution française seulement : Rome autorise cette pratique depuis longtemps. 🇬🇧 English summary During Pope Leo XIV’s visit to France, girls and boys will serve together at the altar. Far from being a new Roman reform, this simply applies a possibility already recognised by the Catholic Church. The controversy reveals a rather French custom: in many parishes, boys serve at the altar while girls are assigned separate duties within the congregation. Une image remarquée lors de la visite de Léon XIV Lorsque Léon XIV visitera la France du 25 au 28 septembre 2026 , les grandes messes pontificales devraient montrer une image encore inhabituelle dans certaines paroisses françaises : des filles et des garçons servant ensemble autour de l’autel . La Conférence des évêques de France a confirmé que des filles participeraient au service de l’autel lors des célébrations présidées par le pape. Le voyage conduira notamment Léon XIV à Paris, Lourdes et Metz , avec une messe place de la...

Abus dans l’Église : l’Iniave prend le relais pour durer

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  De l’urgence à la permanence English summary On 1 September 2026, the French Catholic Church launched the Iniave, a new permanent and independent body tasked with accompanying people who suffered sexual violence as minors at the hands of diocesan clergy or laypeople commissioned by a bishop. It succeeds the Inirr, created in the wake of the 2021 CIASE report, while the latter will continue temporarily to complete cases already opened before 31 August. The new system places greater emphasis on restorative approaches, local accompaniment and long-term institutional responsibility. Financial contributions remain possible, but the Iniave will set its own scale and make decisions independently of individual bishops. The creation of a permanent body marks an important change: the French bishops are no longer treating the abuse crisis as an exceptional episode that can eventually be closed, but as a responsibility requiring lasting structures. Saints du jour : les 191 martyrs de septemb...

30 août 1627 : Pierre de Bérulle devient cardinal

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  30 août 1627 : Pierre de Bérulle devient cardinal Le Christ d’abord English summary On 30 August 1627, Pope Urban VIII created Pierre de Bérulle cardinal. Founder of the French Oratory and a major figure of the French School of Spirituality, Bérulle helped reshape Catholic life in seventeenth-century France by placing the mystery of the Incarnate Christ at the centre of prayer, priestly formation and ecclesial renewal. The same day, the Church remembers Saint Agile of Rebais, a Frankish nobleman who became a monk at Luxeuil and later the first abbot of Rebais. Their very different lives share one conviction: reform begins with conversion. Saint du jour : saint Agile de Rebais, du noble franc au père des moines Le 30 août , l’Église fait mémoire de saint Agile de Rebais , également appelé Aile, Ayeul ou Agyle. Né à la fin du VIe siècle dans une famille de la noblesse franque, il entre très jeune au monastère de Luxeuil, l’un des grands foyers du monachisme colombanien. Il y reçoit...

Léon XIV reçoit les évêques de France avant son grand voyage

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  Derniers réglages avant Paris English summary Four weeks before Pope Leo XIV’s apostolic journey to France, the entire presidency of the French Bishops’ Conference was received at the Vatican on 28 August 2026: Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, Archbishop of Marseille and president of the conference, together with vice-presidents Archbishop Vincent Jordy of Tours and Bishop Benoît Bertrand of Pontoise. The Vatican has not disclosed the content of the meeting. Its timing is nevertheless significant, as the Pope prepares for a four-day journey through Paris, Saint-Denis, Lourdes and Metz, during which he will meet political authorities, clergy, young people, catechumens, bishops, the sick and representatives of civil society. Cardinal Aveline has said that French Catholics expect Leo XIV not only to encourage them, but also to offer a “road map” for the years ahead. Saint du jour : le martyre de saint Jean-Baptiste Le 29 août , l’Église célèbre le martyre de saint Jean-Baptiste . L’Évang...

Les évêques de France changent de voix

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  Un évêque et un laïc face aux médias English summary The French Bishops’ Conference has appointed two new spokespersons who will take office on 1 September 2026: Bishop Pierre-Antoine Bozo, coadjutor bishop of La Rochelle, and layman Amaury Guillem, deputy secretary general of the Bishops’ Conference in charge of communications. The decision comes less than a month before Pope Leo XIV’s visit to France and at a time when the Church is increasingly called upon to explain its positions on bioethics, end-of-life legislation, secularism, liturgy, sexual abuse and the changing face of French Catholicism. By choosing both a bishop and a lay communications professional, the Bishops’ Conference appears to be seeking a more identifiable, accessible and responsive public voice. Libellé Blogger Conférence des évêques de France, CEF, Pierre-Antoine Bozo, Amaury Guillem, communication, médias, évêques, laïcs, Église de France, Léon XIV, catholicisme français Saint du jour : Augustin d’Hippone...