With Pope Leo XIV due in Paris, Lourdes and Metz from 25 to 28 September, the Interior Ministry on 22 September released an extraordinary security and mobility plan that will reshape traffic flows in three regions for almost a week. Up to one million pilgrims are expected in Paris alone, prompting the prefecture of police to deploy 15,000 officers and establish layered security perimeters around Notre-Dame, the Champs-Élysées and the Stade de France. From 23 September, heavy-goods vehicles are barred from central Paris at peak pilgrimage hours, and temporary border checks may be activated on incoming Eurostar and TGV services. At Lourdes, 3,000 security personnel will man drone-defence systems and airport-style screening gates as 150,000 faithful attend an outdoor Mass; all charter buses must pre-register and use dedicated park-and-ride zones 5 km outside the sanctuary. In Metz on 28 September, a 2.2-km ‘papamobile corridor’ will close the city centre to private traffic from 04:00, with local firms instructed to enable telework. SNCF has announced additional TER trains but warns of crowd-management holds at Paris-Est and Metz-Ville. Companies hosting visitors during the period should brief travellers on mandatory bag checks, longer taxi ride-times and the need to carry ID for rapid police screening under France’s current “Vigipirate vigilance renforcée” alert. Event organisers near the pilgrimage route must apply for special permits, while assignees in Lourdes are advised to stock essentials before 25 September, when inner-city deliveries will be suspended.
Source: Ministère de l’Intérieur
