'I have a particular obligation’: Americans in Paris count down to Pope Leo's visit

Pope Leo XIV arrives in France this Friday, September 25, on his first apostolic visit to the country, with crowds expected to number in the hundreds of thousands at his Masses in Paris, Lourdes and Metz. His visit holds particular significance for one group: Americans living in France.

Pope Leo XIV was born in Chicago, Illinois, and spent his first 22 years there. Judith Motyka, who moved to France around six years ago, is also from the city.

"I have a particular obligation to see the pope," said Ms Motyka, a small business owner who lives in Paris.

Ms Motyka is a member of the American Catholic Women's Organization (ACWO), a Paris-based volunteer group that started in 1954. It brings together American women – most of them Catholic, though there is no faith requirement – for regular meet-ups, charity work and volunteering.

On a recent Tuesday morning, ACWO members met for coffee at the café inside the Petit Palais. The Connexion joined them to discuss the pope's visit and the American Catholic community in France.

The visit may be especially meaningful for Americans in France not only because they share the pope's country of birth, but also because of its timing.

This year marks the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence. France, the first country to recognise US independence, has marked the milestone with exhibitions, historical re-enactments and even a Statue of Liberty light show. The National Football League, the top organisation of professional American football teams, will also hold its first match in Paris next month.

Pope Leo XIV may have been born in Chicago, but his identity goes far beyond his nationality. He spent 20 years in Peru, working as a missionary and later becoming a bishop, and today holds dual US and Peruvian citizenship.

"He's as international as he is an American," said Fr David Collins, a Jesuit priest and professor at Georgetown University, according to the university.

While the pope may not want to be defined solely by his US nationality, Connie Borde, an ACWO member originally from Boston who moved to France in the 1960s, said she is "thrilled" to share both an Italian-American heritage and a big-city upbringing with him.

"I really connect with him and I so admire him," she said.

That is not to say she did not have concerns when she learned the new pope would be American. She worried he might bring a biased, partisan tone reflecting the current political climate in the US. Those fears were soon put to rest.

"It wasn't ten minutes after he started talking that we realised he is the one we want," Ms Borde said.

Linda Jaye Haylock, president of the ACWO, said this is the "best time" to have an American pope.

"When they said, American Pope, I said, 'this is what we wanted, this is what we needed, this is what we got — somebody who can stand up to whatever is happening,'" she said.

The ACWO is sponsored by St Joseph's church, an English-speaking Catholic parish in Paris. While many in the congregation are American, it also draws English-speaking worshippers of many nationalities, said Gretchen Knoll, a member of the parish council.

The 150-year-old parish is closely involved in the pope's visit, from communicating dates and how to take part in the Masses to having members volunteer as eucharistic ministers during the pope's open-air Mass. The latter is expected to draw more than 600,000.

Rebecca Bouygues, a former president of the ACWO, is one of those volunteers, though she will help as a guide when the pope visits Notre-Dame.

She said she feels "honoured" by the role, especially as volunteers are likely to be inside the cathedral with the pope.

"We might not see him directly but we'll hear him," Ms Bouygues said.

Ms Knoll said Pope Leo XIV stood out for his inspiration of young people, his encyclical on human dignity and the common good in the age of artificial intelligence, and his multiculturalism, which she described as "a great reflection of what it is to be a pope, and American as well."

Yet those awaiting the pope's arrival stressed that his international outlook surpasses national boundaries – in line with how the pope himself has described his identity. 

"I'm proud that he's an American, but he doesn't view himself that way, he wants to be a more international presence," Ms Bouygues said. "I think that's a good position to have, because he's got to represent the whole world."

Seeing the pope: what is still open to the public

The pope's programme runs from Friday, September 25 to Monday, September 28, taking in Paris, Lourdes and Metz. 

Church bells across France will ring for seven minutes at 10:00 on the Friday to mark the start of the visit. In Paris, a free papamobile procession runs from 16:00 to 17:00 along a 2.5km route from Notre-Dame-des-Champs church to Place Saint-Michel, with no registration required, and the evening's Vespers at Notre-Dame cathedral and the Stade de France youth vigil are invitation or registration-only, with the vigil's 80,000 places already claimed. 

On Saturday, September 26, an outdoor Mass takes place at 15:00 between Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Élysées. Registration closed on September 16 with nearly 600,000 sign-ups, but access remains open on the day, within capacity, and an overflow area has been set up running from Place de l'Étoile to Porte Maillot. 

In Lourdes, Sunday's Mass at the sanctuary on September 27 is expected to draw around 150,000 pilgrims. The visit closes in Metz on September 28 with a popemobile procession through the city and a Mass at the cathedral, expected to draw around 40,000 people who have already registered.