He will be welcomed to France by the president, Emanuel Macron, at 4:15 p.m. and an hour later will lead a time of prayer to Our Lady with the local clergy at the Basilica of Notre Dame de la Garde. The pope will give a greeting and then give another address less than an hour later to religious leaders gathered at a memorial to sailors and migrants lost at sea. The memorial was dedicated in 1923 and declared a historical monument in 2009.
The next day, the pope will have a private meeting at the residence of the Marseille archbishop, Cardinal Jean-Marx Aveline, with people who are suffering economic difficulty and disadvantage. Then at 10 a.m., he will join in the Mediterranean Encounter.
The pope will meet with President Macron at 11:30 a.m. and later that afternoon, at 4:15 p.m., will celebrate a public Mass at Velodrome Stadium, giving the homily. He leaves for Rome at 7:15 p.m. after a departure ceremony at the Marseille International Airport.
Challenges of the Mediterranean
The aim of the Sept. 17–24 Mediterranean Encounter is to “build and share the same hope” among the “mosaic of peoples, cultures, and religions that make up the Mediterranean.” The encounter will include opportunities for people from a large forum of movements and associations committed to responding to the challenges of the Mediterranean to gather and share information, resources, and fellowship. There will also be a “solidarity banquet” bringing together people in difficult situations with those who support them for a shared Mediterranean meal.
The Mediterranean Encounter has its origins in a 2020 initiative of the Italian bishops, who in Bari, Italy, joined together with representatives of the Church and other religious and society leaders to consider the challenges of the Mediterranean. The pope attended that 2020 event.