Pope Leo The choice of Metz Walid was not a coincidence; Rather, this city became famous because the French politician and minister Robert Schuman, who is considered one of the fathers of the birth of the European Union under its various names, lived in it for years, and was buried in a suburb close to it. Also, the “Conference Center” that hosted the political meeting on Monday morning bears the name of Robert Schuman, and the Pope’s speech was called “At the Roots of Europe for Peace and Unity.” Because Europe is at the heart of the Pope’s speech, the Elysee sent an invitation to the leaders of the European Union countries and its senior officials, but none of the European heads of state and government were present except for Guillaume, the Duke of Luxembourg, his prime minister, the Prince of Monaco, and a number of second-ranking officials in the Union countries.
Before the Pope's speech, the French President spoke, urging Europe to "recover the courage of its founders" in order to "become a force for peace, independence and democracy, as it should be." But Macron was quick to describe the European reality, where the war has been raging for more than 4 years on European soil, and where calls for rearmament and preparations for perhaps future wars are well underway. While he saw that “the dangers have changed in size,” he was quick to add that “our efforts for peace must be commensurate with the magnitude of the challenges, and in order to ensure true sovereignty, we must therefore take action.” In his view, this move is “necessary to ensure our security and preserve our values,” and to avoid what he called “the return of nationalist tendencies” in Europe, where the extreme right, whether in Germany, France, Britain, or other countries, is achieving more electoral successes.
The illusion of armament
From the beginning of his term, Leo XIV presented himself as an advocate of peace throughout the world and a catalyst for encouraging dialogue between civilizations, cultures, religions and countries. Because the war “has returned, even to Europe, where a new senseless massacre is taking place, claiming the lives of countless civilians every day,” and because attempts to find a final end to it have continued to this day due to each party’s adherence to its position, the Pope urged the negotiators to “show courage in the negotiations, and to be prepared to abandon some of our positions for the sake of the greater good, that is, peace.”
The Pope recalled a similar call made by Pope Benedict XV in 1917, in the midst of the massacres witnessed by World War I. It is noteworthy that Leo XIV did not mention Ukraine, Russia, or any other country by name, but his reference to the war that has been going on in Ukraine for 4 and a half years was clear. Because war is organically linked to an increase in armaments, which is the prevailing matter today in Europe due to geostrategic conditions and risks, and the doubling of military spending in general, especially in Europe, the Pope was keen to warn of the dangers of the “arms illusion.” He said: “We must warn that rearmament is the solution,” adding that “today we must ask ourselves: Are we actually making creative efforts to promote world peace, or are we simply seeking to stop the advance of war and better prepare for wars that we assume are still coming?” Leo
Migrations and European legacies
During the past four days, the Pope called, on more than one occasion, for the primacy of dialogue and multilateral dialogue, warning against empty dialogues that turned into a “sham show.” He also warned against giving precedence to the law of force over the force of law. As the resurgence of chauvinistic and extremist nationalist calls strengthens, the Pope of Rome was keen to recall the importance of openness to cross-fertilization and cultural pluralism, which is the basis of European construction, and the necessity of giving priority to the rule of law and equality among people. In this context, it was necessary for him to address the issue of immigration flowing into Europe seeking to close doors and build fences and walls against immigrants and refugees, including at the collective European level.
To begin with, the Pope brought to mind that European civilization “is the fruit of encounters extending over centuries, even if these encounters were not always easy,” referring to the migrations that flocked to Europe during past ages, as it “flourished and advanced when it was able to benefit from the best aspects of its past, and to reinvent it in new and creative ways through openness to others.”
Today, “contemporary Europe is facing a new phase in its long history of encounters, with the arrival of a large number of men and women to the continent, fleeing fields of war and persecution, or in search of a better life away from poverty and misery.” In the face of successive tragedies in the Mediterranean, the Pope raised his voice to call for dealing with refugees and migrants in a “humane” manner in a way that preserves their human dignity. He reiterated his call for providing “legal and safe paths” for migration, and for international cooperation to combat human trafficking. He also called on European leaders to work to integrate migrants who arrive on the European continent, and to provide them with opportunities as if they were members of the same family. During his meeting with a group of immigrants in a Parisian institution working to receive them, the Pope urged the integration of refugees and immigrants into the societies in which they reside and giving them opportunities to engage. In the face of calls for cultural closure in European societies, Leo XIV focused on openness and cultural pluralism, despite his reference to the Christian roots of Europe.
The truth of the matter is that the Pope of Rome is in one valley and what is happening in Europe is in another valley. This does not only apply to the immigration file; The Pope denounced the new laws in Europe that allow euthanasia, considering that this could be considered “legal, but not ethical.” He also denounced gay marriage and procreation by borrowing the entrails of other women, and did not fail to warn against losing the human essence and living in the shadow of a “machine paradise” and the tyranny of artificial intelligence.
