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Pope's Visit to Paris: Why Is Traffic Already a Nightmare?

undefined undefined 1 septembre 2026 undefined 13h00

undefined undefined 4 septembre 2026 undefined 15h51

The Editor

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On September 26th, Léon XIV will be present in the streets of the capital to celebrate an outdoor mass. And more than three weeks before the arrival of the pontiff, preparations are already in full swing, not without consequences for Paris motorists. 

It’s a truly rare event unfolding in the streets of Paris. In just under a month, Pope Leo XIV will celebrate a mass on Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Élysées. A gathering that’s bound to draw quite a crowd, and which requires rigorous preparation to ensure the welcome and safety of everyone who wants to attend this one-of-a-kind moment. And the first disruptions should start arriving as early as this week.


Progressive restrictions

To begin with, the median strip will close starting Wednesday, September 2nd at 10 p.m., to start setting up the first equipment, according to indications from the Police Prefecture on X (formerly Twitter). In detail, this means that crossing the square from south to north will be impossible by car, and you’ll have to takhead toward the Tuileries Quay to get where you're going. And while north and west crossings are currently still allowed, via the western lateral route, this reprieve should be short-lived. Indeed, restrictions are expected to tighten as the days go by in order to best prepare for the arrival of the sovereign pontiff. Something to add a little sparkle to this already rather gloomy start of the season.


A unique visit

Just to remind you, Leon XIV will be in the French capital for two days. On September 25th, after celebrating vespers at Notre-Dame and meeting with President Emmanuel Macron, he will lead a vigil at the Stade de France, which is expected to draw no fewer than 80,000 young people aged 18 to 35, for an evening of prayer. The next day, he will then head to Place de la Concorde for the aforementioned mass. An extraordinary event for which more than 400,000 people have already registered. Because while entry is free, registration is highly recommended by authorities and organizers. He will then continue his French journey to Lourdes and Metz.

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