Official visit of His Holiness Pope Francis to Luxembourg

At the invitation of His Royal Highness the Grand Duke, His Holiness Pope Francis will pay an official visit to Luxembourg on 26 September 2024. This will be the first papal visit since 1985, when His Holiness Pope John Paul II visited Luxembourg.

Upon his arrival in Luxembourg, His Holiness Pope Francis will be welcomed by Their Royal Highnesses the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess, accompanied by Prime Minister Luc Frieden. Following the playing of the national anthems, the official delegations will be introduced.

TRH the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess will then meet His Holiness Pope Francis at the Grand Ducal Palace.

The Pope will later grant an audience to Prime Minister Luc Frieden. The Prime Minister will also exchange views with Monsignor Edgar Peña Parra, Substitute for General Affairs at the Secretariat of State, and Monsignor Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisations.

The visit will continue with a meeting at the Cercle Cité, where His Holiness Pope Francis will meet national authorities and members of the public, at the invitation of Prime Minister Luc Frieden. The event will also be attended by the Grand Ducal couple, the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Claude Wiseler, and the Mayor of Luxembourg City, Lydie Polfer. Members of parliament and government as well as representatives from the Council of State, the judiciary, the City of Luxembourg's College of Aldermen, the resident diplomatic corps, European institutions, civil society organisations, and various religious communities will also be present. Both Prime Minister Luc Frieden and His Holiness Pope Francis will deliver speeches, with musical accompaniment provided by an ensemble from the Luxembourg City Conservatoire.

In the early afternoon, His Holiness Pope Francis will tour the city centre in the Popemobile, allowing the public to greet him.

The Holy Father's visit will conclude with a meeting at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg, with the Catholic community and national authorities present, under the theme "Pour servir" ("To serve"). On this occasion, His Holiness will deliver a speech and present the "golden rose", a symbol of the papal blessing, to the statue of Our Lady Consoler of the Afflicted.

In the late afternoon, His Holiness Pope Francis will bid farewell to Their Royal Highnesses the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess, Prime Minister Luc Frieden, and the Archbishop of Luxembourg, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, before departing for Belgium.

Press release by the Ministry of State and the Government's Information and Press Service (SIP)