What have we learned about Pope Leo during his visit to France
Metz, France — France may have a highly secularized culture, but it has given Pope Leo XIV a superstar welcome. In Paris, around 800,000 lined the Champs-Élysées avenue, some waving Vatican or French flags while others climbed trees or stood on each other’s shoulders to get a glimpse of the popemobile. In Lourdes, a holy site … The post What have we learned about Pope Leo during his visit to…
The four-day papal visit to France by Pope Leo XIV has been met with a star-studded welcome from the French public. In Paris, an estimated 800,000 people lined the Champs-Élysées avenue, among them waving Vatican or French flags, while others climbed trees or stood on each other's shoulders to catch a glimpse of the popemobile. Similarly, around 150,000 attendees gathered for an open-air papal Mass in Lourdes, a holy site in southern France, according to Vatican estimates, far exceeding the attendance during the previous papal visit in 2008.
During the visit, Pope Leo XIV appeared comfortable and delivered most of his speeches and reflections in French. His focus was on revitalizing faith in a traditional European Catholic heartland, addressing the clerical sexual abuse scandal, and discussing big political topics such as artificial intelligence. He has also provided some unscripted remarks, contributing to a clearer picture of himself.
Pope Leo XIV aims for Europe to draw on its Christian roots, unlike his predecessor who never made official visits to major Catholic European countries like France and Spain. France, known as the "eldest daughter of the church" due to its deep Catholic roots, has seen a declining church attendance, with only 5-8% of the population attending services weekly.
However, there have been signs of a rise in new church entrants, with 8,200 adolescents and 13,200 adults baptized in 2026, marking a 20% increase from the previous year. Additionally, 42% of adults seeking baptism are aged 18-25, reflecting Gen Z's openness to religious faith.
The visit took place in a country with a strict separation between church and state. In a surprising move, Leo XIV celebrated a Mass at the Place de la Concorde, a site historically linked to the secular Republic as it was where the last king of France, Louis XVI, and his wife Marie-Antoinette, were executed during the French Revolution.
President Emmanuel Macron also attended a papal Mass in Metz, a city in the northeast, despite criticism in 2023 for attending a Mass during Pope Francis' visit. Pope Leo XIV has not been swayed by concerns over artificial intelligence, cautioning against a "paradise of machines," while contrasted with President Trump, who dismissed AI warnings as a "hoax" during a phone call with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.
Written by urgent.news from Egypt Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
