France awaits Pope Leo

PARIS: France awaits Pope Leo as the pontiff arrives for a four-day trip, marking the Vatican's first state visit to France in 18 years.

President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte will be on the tarmac to greet the 71-year-old pope, as he marks the first official trip by a head of the Vatican since Pope Benedict XVI in September 2008.

Following his arrival, Leo is to wave to the crowds on a 2.5-kilometre (1.5-mile) popemobile ride to the Notre Dame Cathedral in central Paris.

Moving through the itinerary, his agenda for the day will be a mass prayer and hymns with 80,000 young believers aged 17 to 35 in a stadium in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis.

Furthermore, the pope is scheduled to speak on regulating artificial intelligence at UNESCO headquarters.

Rounding out the historic journey, the trip features private talks with clerical sex abuse victims and a European peace speech.