Pope Leo XIV begins four-day France visit, meets Macron at the Élysée

Pope Leo XIV arrived in France on Friday for a four-day visit, the first official papal trip to the country in 18 years. He was welcomed at Paris Orly Airport by President Emmanuel Macron in a formal ceremony before travelling to the Élysée Palace, where Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron greeted him on a red carpet ahead of a brief meeting inside the palace.

At the Élysée, the Pope and the President held closed-door talks covering international geopolitics, artificial intelligence and peace. Following the meeting, Leo XIV delivered a public address touching on several themes central to his papacy. He urged world leaders not to remain indifferent to suffering in the Middle East and warned against treating war as an inevitability. He also cautioned against the risks of unchecked technological development, referring to the danger of a 'paradise of machines' in which artificial intelligence could weaken humanity. The Pope additionally spoke against gestational surrogacy, calling for greater protection of human dignity.

The four-day visit combines diplomatic engagements with large public events. The itinerary includes a meeting with UNESCO representatives, a popemobile procession through Paris, a prayer service at Notre-Dame, and a youth vigil at the Stade de France. The centerpiece of the trip is expected to be a mass at Place de la Concorde, which organizers say could draw up to one million attendees. After his time in Paris, the Pope will travel on to Lourdes and Metz.

For President Macron, the visit represents a delicate diplomatic balancing act. As the leader of a country with a strict separation of church and state, he must navigate the line between ceremonial hospitality and adherence to secular principles. No private one-on-one meeting between the Pope and the President is officially scheduled, with the Pope's packed itinerary cited as the reason. Macron himself is not expected to attend any of the religious services held during the visit, underscoring the distinction between state representation and religious participation.

The visit takes place against a backdrop in which the Catholic Church in France is seeking to rebuild its standing following years of clergy abuse scandals. Church leaders in the country hope the trip will help restore some of the trust that has been lost. Reports indicate that addressing the abuse crisis, including possible apologies, is also part of the agenda during the visit.

Security preparations for the trip are extensive, with hundreds of thousands of visitors expected in Paris. Volunteers had been mobilized ahead of the visit to help welcome and manage the anticipated crowds, which organizers describe as among the largest public gatherings Paris has seen in years.

In his initial remarks, the Pope addressed a range of issues extending beyond strictly religious matters, touching on global political and technological questions as well. His comments on artificial intelligence and his calls for peace in the Middle East were widely covered by international media and discussed in a variety of contexts.

It remains to be seen how the relationship between the Vatican and the French state will evolve over the course of the visit, particularly with regard to any further statements the Pope may make on domestic or international issues. The concrete impact of the trip on public trust in the Catholic Church in France also cannot yet be fully assessed.