France: Pope Leo XIV begins Paris diplomacy at the Élysée

Pope Leo embarked on a four-day visit to France, arriving on Friday with a message of peace amid ongoing global conflicts. During his journey, he plans to renew his calls for international regulations surrounding artificial intelligence, a cause he has long championed, and set a vision for Europe's future. His itinerary includes stops in Paris, Lourdes, and Metz, a city on the German border.

En route to Paris, Pope Leo declared his mission to deliver a message of peace, emphasizing its importance in today's turbulent times. An estimated 600,000 individuals have registered for an outdoor mass in central Paris, with the crowds anticipated to extend along the Avenue des Champs-Elysees. To ensure the safety of these events, approximately 37,000 security personnel will be mobilized, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nunez.

The Pope's agenda for Friday encompasses speeches to President Emmanuel Macron and French leaders at the Elysee Palace, as well as to UNESCO staff, an organization grappling with budget constraints following the United States' withdrawal in 2025. Despite previous criticism from the previous US pope regarding the Iran war, Pope Leo aims to address AI-related concerns at UNESCO.

In a recent address, he highlighted the potential benefits of AI for humanity while warning of new security and peace threats, urging leaders to "govern wisely" in its oversight. Pope Leo's visit coincides with disagreements among French Catholic leaders over the constitution's abortion rights and the legalization of assisted dying for terminally ill adults.

As one of the first papal visits to France in nearly two decades, the Pope will culminate his tour in Metz, delivering a speech on "the roots of Europe for peace and unity." President Macron has extended an invitation to leaders from all 27 EU member states, though it remains unclear which ones will attend.