Katholische Kirche: Papst mahnt in Frankreich zu „neuer Brüderlichkeit“
Eigentlich gilt Frankreich als „älteste Tochter“ der Kirche. Aber beim ersten Besuch von Leo XIV. in Paris geht es auch um Konfliktthemen wie Sterbehilfe und Abtreibung. Und um seine Wurzeln.
Pope Leo XIV praised France as a country of human rights during his four-day visit to the nation, but also delivered critical remarks. At a reception at the Élysée Palace in Paris, the head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics urged a "new brotherhood", which includes respect for life from conception to death. This reference was made to a new law on euthanasia passed by the National Assembly in the summer, as well as the right to abortion enshrined in the French constitution under President Emmanuel Macron.
He emphasized that "the protection of the right to life forms the indispensable basis for all other human rights." With Macron present, he stressed that "the protection of life is the indispensable basis for all other human rights." The US-born Pope, whose family has French roots, has been in France for the first time since last year.
As he campaigned for "new brotherhood", he invoked the triad of freedom, equality, and brotherhood from the 1789 French Revolution. Today, this phrase is the country's official motto. Macron expressed pleasure in receiving the Pope and affirmed that many citizens welcomed his visit with hope. Macron endorsed the Pope's message of peace and stressed that the search for peace on all fronts is an essential need.
Macron also told the Pope, "You will see that we have also found roots in Béarn and Bigorre," both regions located in the southwest of France. France has a strict separation of church and state, except for some eastern regions, for over a century. Its population has been declining for decades, with less than a third identifying as Catholic.
However, immigration has increased the Muslim population. France is considered "the oldest daughter of the Church," as the first Frankish king Clovis baptized in the fifth century. Pope Francis, during his short stay, is expected to address various issues, including criticism of assisted suicide, assisted reproduction, and organ trafficking.
He also plans to visit UNESCO in Paris, hold a Vesper service with 80,000 attendees at the National Stadium, and give a speech in Metz.
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