Pope Addresses Catholic Community at Luxembourg's Notre-Dame Cathedral

The official visit of Pope Francis to Luxembourg continued on Thursday afternoon with a Popemobile tour through the capital's streets and a meeting with members of the Catholic community at Notre-Dame Cathedral.

The Pope arrived in Luxembourg on Thursday 26 September 2024, at the invitation of Grand Duke Henri, for the first papal visit to the Grand Duchy since 1985. Following his departure from Luxembourg Airport on Thursday evening, he will make his way to Belgium, where he will stay from Friday 27 to Sunday 29 September 2024.

Thursday morning's agenda was dominated by a welcome ceremony at the airport, meetings at the Grand Ducal Palace and speeches at the Cercle Cité in Luxembourg-Ville. Hundreds of people gathered in Luxembourg City, including those coming from across Luxembourg's borders. Speaking to journalists, some spectators described the chance to see the Pope as a "once-in-the-lifetime opportunity".

Accompanied by the Archbishop of Luxembourg, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, Pope Francis travelled by Popemobile through the streets of Luxembourg city centre (Rue Chimay, Boulevard Roosevelt, Pont Adolphe, Boulevard de la Pétrusse, Rue Heinrich Heine, Avenue de la Liberté, Pont Adolphe, Avenue Marie-Thérèse), greeting bystanders. The tour went smoothly, despite a brief interruption by animal rights activists. The journey ended at the Bishop's Palace, where the Pope was due to have lunch with Cardinal Hollerich.

Shortly before 16:30, Pope Francis arrived at Notre-Dame Cathedral, where he was greeted by about 650 members of the public who had secured tickets. Also present were members of the Grand Ducal family, the national authorities and the clergy, among others. Cardinal Hollerich described it as a "great honour" to welcome Pope Francis in Luxembourg and spoke of how the Catholic Church has evolved and continues to involve in a secularised society - a message which resonated with the Pope, as he mentioned later in his own speech. The Archbishop of Luxembourg emphasised the theme of this papal visit - "To serve" - and spoke about the need to help the poor and the marginalised.

Pope Francis then listened to three testimonies from representatives of the Catholic community in Luxembourg, namely 25-year-old Diogo Gomes Costa who spoke about his experience at World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon, Christine Bußhardt, Vice-President of the Diocesan Pastoral Council, who spoke about pastoral life, and Sister Maria Perpétua Coelho Dos Santos of the Servantes de Notre-Dame de Fatima congregation, who highlighted the linguistic and cultural diversity of Luxembourg. The testimonies were accompanied by a colourful youth dance performance - a rare sight in the cathedral.

In his speech, Pope Francis said he was "very happy" to be present with everyone in this "magnificent" cathedral. Reflecting on the message "To serve", he highlighted in particular the ideals of service, mission and joy. He urged Luxembourg to continue to help and show hospitality and charity to those in need. The Pope also recalled the Christian roots of European culture and advocated a Europe of values, rather than material things. He later included a special mention for a unique tradition in Luxembourg: the Echternach hopping procession, and its strong links to the missionary Saint Willibrord.

Among the gifts presented to Pope Francis on the occasion of his visit was a donation of over €100,000 collected from Luxembourg's faithful for charitable causes, which the Pope, although "touched" by this "beautiful gesture of solidarity", decided to give back to organisations supporting those in need, namely refugees, in the Grand Duchy.

This final part of the programme concluded around 17:40. Pope Francis then headed back to the airport for the next leg of his journey (Brussels).