Pope Leo XIV opened his four-day state visit to France on Friday by warning that a paradise of machines
threatens human dignity, while French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the pontiff as his term nears its close amid low approval ratings.
Pope Leo XIV touched down in Paris on Friday for the first official state visit by a pontiff in 18 years, met by church bells tolling nationwide and an unexpected wave of crowds lining the capital’s streets. Security cordons and enthusiastic onlookers framed a trip designed to reawaken Europe’s Christian roots while confronting the modern ethics of technology and international conflict.
Pope Leo XIV Warns of Artificial Intelligence and Dehumanization
Addressing officials at the Élysée Palace and later diplomats at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, Leo focused his opening remarks on the existential pressures facing modern society. He argued that computational systems are increasingly prioritized over people, creating a culture that discards those deemed inefficient.
“The paradox has become increasingly evident: while ‘intelligence’ is attributed to computational systems, we struggle to recognize the inalienable dignity of human persons, whose lives are judged according to the criterion of efficiency and, when deemed no longer productive, are rejected and discarded.”
Pope Leo XIV, via NPR
Geopolitics, Nuclear Weapons, and the Rule of Law
Amid ongoing wars in Europe and the Middle East, Leo directly challenged global defense doctrines. He reaffirmed Vatican opposition to nuclear weapons, declaring that deterrence policies are mistaken and actively fuel a new arms race. True peace, he told the gathered diplomats, relies on justice and dialogue rather than military balance.
Leo also addressed international leadership without naming specific figures, criticizing officials who disregard the rule of law when it suits their political interests. French President Emmanuel Macron responded by emphasizing France’s commitment to multilateralism and international charters, telling the pope that his arrival offered a source of hope to the French public.
Emmanuel Macron Faces End-of-Term Realities in France
For Macron, hosting the American pope arrives at a politically delicate moment. Barred from seeking a third term in the upcoming May elections and facing near-record low approval ratings over economic pressures, debt, and public services, welcoming the pontiff serves as a significant capstone to his decade in office.
Charles Mercier, director of history and sociology of Catholicism studies at Paris EPHE university, noted the domestic political dynamics of the visit.
Secularism, Abortion, and Life Legislation in France
Leo’s visit unfolds against a backdrop of strict constitutional secularism where the Catholic Church has seen its influence on ethical policy recede. The pontiff used his platform to underscore Christian roots and traditional church teachings on the sanctity of life. His message arrives after the enshrinement of abortion rights in the French constitution in 2024 and recent parliamentary approval of legislation allowing lethal medication for adults facing incurable illnesses.
During his four-day itinerary, the pope is scheduled to celebrate a massive outdoor mass at the Place de la Concorde, preside over a youth vigil at a Paris stadium, and travel to Lourdes for private meetings with victims of clerical abuse as the French church continues addressing findings from prior investigations into historical institutional misconduct.
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