The last time a Pontiff visited the French capital dates back to 2008, when Benedict XVI went to the French capital. Today the Holy Father was received at the Elysée by Macron, followed by visits to UNESCO in the afternoon and the celebration of vespers in the Notre-Dame Cathedral. In the evening, a prayer vigil with 80 thousand young people is planned at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis
Eighteen years after the last time, a Pope has returned to Paris. Leo The setting is places of great charm, from the majesty of Notre-Dame, Place de la Concorde and the Elysée in Paris, to the spiritual atmosphere of Lourdes and the strategic position of Metz. The last Pope to set foot in the French capital was Benedict XVI in 2008, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the apparitions in the Massabielle Grotto: before him John Paul II had been to France 7 times (8 counting the stop in 1989 in La Réunion, a French overseas department). Pope Francis, however, has been to France three times, visiting Strasbourg, Marseille and Corsica but never the capital.
The Pope to Mattarella: "In France with the desire for peace between peoples"
Before leaving, Pope Leo XIV sent a telegram of greeting to the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, as per tradition at the beginning of every international trip. "As I prepare to undertake the apostolic journey to France, under the gaze of the Virgin Mary, to whose intercession we entrust the desire for peace and reconciliation between peoples, I am pleased to address my cordial greeting to you, Mr President, whom I accompany with fervent wishes for the good and prosperity of the entire Italian nation", wrote the Pontiff.
Mattarella to the Pope: "We need cohesion for the common good"
"The nation you are preparing to visit, in its thousand-year history, has made an essential contribution to Europe and the world for the affirmation of individual rights and freedoms, together with those universal ideals which are the foundation of our democracies. The very motto of your journey, 'So that the world may have life', encourages unity and cohesion, arouses a positive commitment aimed at the search for the common good and at the service of the human person", replied Mattarella, thanking the Pope "heartfelt for the message he wanted to send me upon the departure of the apostolic mission to France and to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)". The head of state recalls the "shining example, inspired by Christian values" of the figure of Robert Schuman, "whom Your Holiness will remember in Metz. His generation was able to overcome the tragedies of war and partisan interests, starting the great project of a united, reconciled and just Europe. Even today, the integration process nourishes and supports the multilateral order based on rules, an indispensable barrier to the indiscriminate predominance of force". "While the need for a fair sharing of resources on the planet becomes more pressing every day - adds Mattarella - for their ethical use, safeguarding the balance between people and generations". "Of course, your message in favor of the dignity of every human being and collaboration between peoples - Mattarella continues in his message to the Pope - will be welcomed as a sign of hope in a future of greater harmony. I renew, Your Holiness, the expressions of my profound consideration".
In-depth analysis
Pope Leo XIV, apostolic journey to France: the program and stages
"We must avoid humanitarian crises like in Ceuta"
"I have followed it from day one, it is a crisis that has different causes", said the Pope on the plane, speaking to journalists about what happened in Ceuta. "We must try to respond to avoid situations like this which was a real humanitarian crisis." "I am happy that you are all here - he then responded to CNN's Vatican reporter who asked for a comment on the exclusion of some journalists from the White House - Good media coverage everywhere and for everyone is necessary and I think it is very important". "I want to personally apologize for the accident on the trip to Spain, I know that some of you were not happy", the Pope later recalled, referring to the plane breakdown due to which he left Tenerife alone, while the accompanying journalists returned on another flight. Finally, greeting the journalists accompanying him to France, he reiterated his desire for peace: "We are here to bring a message of peace in this particularly important moment for the world".
The arrival in Paris
The plane carrying Pope Leo landed at Paris Orly airport around 10am. The Pope was welcomed by French President Emmanuel Macron and the première dame, Brigitte. Macron and his wife, smiling, both dressed in black, shook hands with the Pontiff, then passed in front of the Republican Guard who performed the hymns and finally greeted a group of children who welcomed Leo XIV with songs, flowers and hymns. The Pontiff and the French presidential couple then headed towards the airport exit, heading to the Elysée. Bells throughout France rang from ten o'clock, the Pope's expected arrival time, for the next seven minutes.
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Pope Leo in France, shaking hands with Prime Minister Macron
The visit to the Elysée
The Pontiff then moved to the Elysée, where he had a private conversation with Macron and met with authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps. This is not the first time a Pope has visited the residence of a French head of state: already in 1980 Pope John Paul II was welcomed by President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. Subsequently, in 1997, John Paul II was also received by President Jacques Chirac on the occasion of World Youth Day. On the occasion of his last apostolic trip to France, in 2008, Benedict XVI visited the presidential palace and instead met the then president Nicolas Sarkozy.
Macron: "French secularism is not the denial of religion"
Macron and the Pope then held a speech in front of personalities from the country's political and diplomatic world. The "twice thousand-year" history of Christianity in France "has created a singular bond between France and the Catholic Church", noted the president. "And when the Republic decided, a little more than 120 years ago, the separation between Church and State - he added - it gave shape to a French secularism which is absolutely not the denial of religion". "It is a great honor and a great joy to welcome you to our land - said Macron - Many of our compatriots feel hope with your visit to France".
Macron to the Pope: "Peace is not just the silence of weapons"
Then Macron underlined the agreement between France and the Pontiff to be "on the side of peace, multilateralism of action, respect for international law and the United Nations Charter". "You have placed the first months of your pontificate under the sign of an unarmed and disarming peace - continued the president - a need which takes on particular strength while war is blooding our continent and while tensions and conflicts are resurrecting everywhere". This need "also reminds us that peace is not just the silence of arms - underlined Macron - and that it presupposes justice, security, respect for human rights, sovereignty of nations and the right of peoples to dispose of themselves".
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The Pope on the end of life: "A planned death cannot be offered"
After Macron's speech, the Pontiff also expressed "great joy" for this trip: "France is very often at the center of the Pope's prayers, who does not forget his Norman and Berano family origins". Then Leo You cannot offer "a planned death". "There is today the temptation to expect from science - said Leo favor genetic manipulation, surrogate motherhood, the purchase of organs or the offer of a planned death".
Leone to France: "Urgent dialogue to prevent authoritarian tendencies"
The Pope then underlined the importance of dialogue in an increasingly multicultural society. "Those who inhabit this country", he said, "together form a people in which the diversity of origins contributes to vivifying and enriching coexistence and democratic life". "A truly free society does not impose uniformity, but protects the diversity of consciences, preventing authoritarian tendencies and promoting a dialogue" which "is all the more urgent in the context of today's France, where people of different cultural and religious backgrounds are called to coexist and make their own contribution to the construction of society".
“AI creates machine paradise”
A passage also on AI, a theme dear to Leo XIV, at the center of his first Encyclical. "This theme seemed fundamental to me, in order to bring the person back to the center of every reflection, so as not to lose our humanity. In the midst of the 'paradise of machines' that invade and condition our lives every day, it is urgent to train minds in ethical discernment, capable of recognizing what is morally good".
The Pope: "The reconstruction of Notre-Dame inspires unity and hope"
Also in his speech to the French authorities, the Pope thanked for the reconstruction of Notre-Dame after the 2019 fire. "The recent reopening of the cathedral to the celebration of divine worship, as well as to visitors from all over the world, is not only the culmination of a technical feat, but the symbol of a rediscovered hope, the proof - underlined Leo such a beautiful result must inspire all the actors in the political, social and religious life of the country with a new impetus to work incessantly in a spirit of unity, with the strength of a living hope".
The Pope: "War is not inevitable, Paris should relaunch diplomacy"
Finally, the Pope launched an appeal to the French authorities so that, faced with the many conflicts in the world, they can relaunch the diplomatic path in Europe. "I therefore urge you never to resign yourself to the prospect of war considering it 'inevitable', but to relentlessly promote dialogue and diplomacy, in order to preserve peaceful societies, respectful of the dignity and rights of individuals and peoples. Faced with the rumors of war and the multifaceted crises that shake our world, France has the vocation - underlined Leo our dear Europe. May France, faithful to its values, pave the way for an unarmed and disarming peace, and responsibly offer its irreplaceable contribution".
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The Pope at the UNESCO headquarters: "The most terrible of human works is war"
In the early afternoon the Holy Father reached the UNESCO headquarters, where he gave a speech exceptionally in English (apart from this one and the one in Metz, they will all be in French). An occasion in which there was no shortage of references to "conflict situations". Pope Leo underlined how "in this particular moment, we must recognize that the most terrible of human works is war, since in it science itself is placed at the service of an inhuman will to destroy and kill". And therefore "peace cannot be built only with treaties, nor through compromises between opposing forces".
"AI does not answer questions about the meaning of human existence"
Even at UNESCO, Pope Leo returned to technology and AI. For the occasion, UNESCO and the Holy See will sign a framework agreement aimed at strengthening cooperation in the field of AI. "Information is abundant, but it does not coincide with wisdom. Without a shared code of ethics, the most varied communication channels risk multiplying false information, or using meaningless words, hindering dialogue rather than encouraging it". For the Pontiff, "artificial intelligence accentuates this problem: although these systems are able to correlate data, they cannot answer questions about the meaning of human existence, which has its roots in lived experience".
Notre-Dame and the Stade de France
Afterwards, the Pope moved to Notre-Dame, for the celebration of vespers with the bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated men and women and seminarians. Previous Pontiffs who have passed through Paris, such as John Paul II and Benedict between 17 and 35 years old in the stands. This will also be an absolute first for a Pope, who has never entered the facility where the Transalpine national football and 15-a-side rugby teams play.
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Notre Dame reopens. Macron: "We give it back to the world". PHOTO
All the gifts that
