The queue outside Metz train station is only getting longer, with no sign of thinning out. More than 200 people are waiting, on average around half an hour, all determined to buy a souvenir to immortalise the moment.
In a few years' time, said 22-year-old Théo, who had made the trip from Ham-sous-Varsberg east of Metz, he would be able to say that he had bought something in Metz for the visit of Leo XIV. A stop at one of the four official shops is a must.
People, said Francine, one of the 1,600 volunteers recruited by the Diocese of Metz for this Monday 28 September 2026, were stepping off the train and buying items relentlessly.
The crowd, she added, was a very cosmopolitan one, with Germans, English and Spanish visitors on the ground, and even one customer who had come all the way from Colombia.
Outside the station doors, the merchandise is flying off the shelves. A rectangular or round keychain going for €7, €2 for a small papal flag, €10 for a water bottle or tote bag, and €12 for a rosary.
Louis-Nicolas and Sophie had travelled by train from Nancy with four of their six children to share a historic moment as a family, as they put it.
To keep something tangible from the day, and above all "not to forget all the children and the rest of the family", they unhesitatingly spent €60 on T-shirts, rosaries, nightlights and more.
The logo, Louis-Nicolas noted, was really well done, colourful and featuring the papal mitre and the dove of peace.
The logo, designed for the Pope's visit to France, depicts a colourful rose window from the cathedral, weaving in a host of symbols.
It captures, according to Vatican News, all the spiritual power and hope of this papal visit in a single image.
Today, said Christine, a 77-year-old local resident who will see the Pope pass by her windows twice, the whole world was going to see Metz in a new light, and she thought that was fantastic.
Another local, though rather less lucky, is 46-year-old Fanny, who had a train to catch. She teaches English at the University of Lorraine in Nancy.
Just before heading off to work, however, she was trying to grab a few candles or a T-shirt, since the wine was already sold out.
She would be leaving Metz with a heavy heart, she said, though she planned to watch the replay on TV that evening.
