Pope Léon XIV to visit Paris center for exiles
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In Paris, volunteers and people seeking refuge are preparing for a visit from Pope Léon XIV to Maison Bakhita, a center opened by the city’s diocese five years ago to welcome and integrate people who have been displaced.
The Maison Bakhita has assisted nearly 3,000 people since it opened, responding to a 2017 call from Pope Francis to welcome, protect, promote, and integrate migrants.
The center offers around thirty activities, including French lessons, job search assistance, and cooking classes, across its 1,500-square-meter space. Gwendoline Fasano, the new director of Maison Bakhita, is coordinating the papal visit, which will last only 30 minutes on September 26th. Security preparations are extensive, involving French security forces, the Swiss Guard, and the Vatican gendarmerie.
Sister Maria, a Brazilian religious from the Scalabrinian Congregation, an order dedicated to helping migrants and refugees, is preparing a banner welcoming the Pope with the message, “Your presence is a blessing.” The Maison Bakhita prioritizes unconditional welcome, asking only for names and nationalities without inquiring into personal histories. Many of those it serves come from Africa, Latin America, and Asia.
An Afghan man, a Muslim refugee and now a volunteer at the center’s sewing workshop, will speak during the Pope’s visit to share his story. The center’s namesake, Saint Josephine Bakhita, was herself a formerly enslaved woman from Sudan who dedicated her life to serving others, and her statue stands in the center’s chapel.
