Pope Francis will arrive in the southern French city of Marseille on Friday for a two-day visit that will include a meeting of bishops from around the Mediterranean, a ceremony at the memorial for people lost at sea and a public mass. He is expected to reiterate his call for more compassion when it comes to migration.
The pope will start at the port city's Basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde for a prayer with the clergy on Friday afternoon.
That will be followed by a moment of meditation with representatives of other religions in front of a memorial dedicated to sailors and migrants lost at sea.
On Saturday morning he will take part in the closing session of the Mediterranean Meetings, a gathering of bishops from countries on the Mediterranean Sea, before leading a mass in the Vélodrome stadium for about 57,000 participants.
Around 5,000 police and other security forces have been mobilised for his trip, on top of around 8,000 already deployed for the Rugby World Cup events.
While in France's second-largest city, a historic gateway for immigrants, the pope is expected to focus on the causes of migration, from poverty to climate change, and urge greater tolerance.
The visit comes as a surge in the number of migrant arrivals in Italy revives a debate over how European countries manage asylum seekers.
"It represents a challenge that is not easy, as we also see from the news in recent days, but which must be faced together," Francis said last Sunday in Rome.
"It is essential for the future of all, which will be prosperous only if it is built on fraternity, putting human dignity and real people, especially those most in need, in first place," he said.
Deadly crossings
At the Mediterranean Meetings, the pope is expected to speak to bishops active in North Africa in particular about the challenges there.
"The Mediterranean is a cemetery. But it's not the biggest: the biggest cemetery is in North Africa," Francis told reporters in August.
More than 2,300 migrants have died so far this year attempting the Mediterranean crossing from North Africa, according to the UN.
François Thomas, capitain of the Ocean Viking ship run by the NGO SOS Méditerranée says Pope Francis has always spoken out about the tragic circumstances concerning migrant crossings, urging states to do more.
"He is the only one to have such strong words," Thomas told Franceinfo on Thursday. "He is the only head of state, the only major international personality, to demand that actions be taken.
"Francis does not want us to look at him, but at the Mediterranean. We must listen to the testimonies of this reality, of the crossings, of the suffering of all these people we have on board the Ocean Viking. We must give faces and life stories to the shipwrecked migrants," Thomas said.
Macron to attend mass
French President Emmanuel Macron will attend the Pope's mass in Marseille, a decision that has sparked controversy among left-wing politicians in the strictly secular country.
The pontiff has a cordial relationship with Macron, who was himself educated by Jesuits, and the leaders have already seen each other three times.
Thierry Rambaud, a law professor in Paris, said the pope "is a foreign head of state, it's normal for the president to meet him and be present at the ceremony".
"Of course Emmanuel Macron is president of a secular republic, but many of his fellow citizens are of Catholic faith and it's a way of showing respect," he added.
(with newswires)
