By The Daily Caller (U.S.) | Created at 2026-09-26 22:28:13 | Updated at 2026-09-27 00:22:23
2 hours ago
Pope Leo XIV has used his apostolic visit to France, running from September 25-28, 2026 to discuss abortion, euthanasia, surrogacy and the place of Catholic schools in a once staunchly Catholic, but not officially secular country.
The pope’s trip is unfolding amid French President Emmanuel Macron’s progressive government which enshrined abortion in the Constitution in 2024 and recently passed legislation legalizing assisted death. Pope Leo addressed some of the underlying questions on these issues while invoking Catholic teaching.
While at the Elysee Palace in Paris Friday, the American pope, whose grandmother was French, delivered his speech in the country’s native tongue. He remarked that modern society often expects science to eliminate or alleviate every form of suffering, a hope that “often brings the risk of self-delusion.”
When science and technology lack deeper wisdom, he said, they can offer “immediate solutions that apparently address people’s wishes and their pain” yet fail to serve the greater good. He then voiced specific concern about trends that turn scientific advances into profit-driven enterprises, citing genetic manipulation, surrogacy, the trade in human organs and “the possibility of arranging one’s own death.”
O Papa Leão parou a cidade de Paris! Cerca de 700 mil pessoas participam da missa na Place de la Concorde.
Antes da celebração eucarística, o Pontífice percorreu de papamóvel a famosa avenida dos Campos Elíseos (Champs-Élysées) pic.twitter.com/Mx8xomqee0
The Pope noted that mutual respect and the protection of every human life remain duties binding on all. Later, at UNESCO headquarters, he reinforced the point by stating that “the human person is someone who is conceived and born.”
France’s relationship with public expressions of faith has long been marked by tension. Pope Leo argued that a Christian in public service, guided by a conscience formed by faith, cannot be dismissed as a proselytizer or a threat to national unity.
The pope went on to say that authentic secularism “does not exclude religion but is capable of valuing it as an educational resource.” It consists not in banishing faith from the public square or from schools, but in ensuring that the state and religious institutions maintain dialogue and work together for the common good.
President Macron has chosen not to attend any Mass celebrated by the pope, while the pontiff declined a state dinner and a joint visit to Notre-Dame, citing a busy schedule and, some reports suggest, the recent assisted-dying legislation.
Pope Leo also addressed Catholic schools, adding that they have a rightful place in France’s educational landscape, where the capacity to know and love oneself and to encounter others is essential to genuine communication.
In the same speech, the pope praised the cooperation between France and the Catholic Church in assisting Christians in the Middle East. The pope also acknowledged the deep Christian roots of French arts and culture. He warned of the dangers of artificial intelligence, called for peace, and rejected the notion that nuclear weapons can guarantee security. [RELATED: It’s Time For Peace!: Pole leopard XIV Leads Impassioned Plea For End To Armed Conflicts Across World]
Pope Leo closed his speech by invoking the French national motto, “liberty, equality and fraternity,” remarking that they “are not simply words emblazoned on the front of your public buildings” but rather “refer to universal ethical imperatives that also find in the Gospel message an inexhaustible source of inspiration and fulfillment.”
This year, a record number of adult baptisms in France were celebrated during Easter, more than 21,000 which is an increase of roughly one-fifth over the previous year. The pope noted that such growth has taken place in “a deeply secularized culture.” The testimonies of these converts, he said, offer tangible evidence of God’s grace that surpasses statistical analysis and counters the “sterile pessimism” once decried by Pope Francis.
The papal visit revealed, according to a recent poll, that a fifth of the French population wants to see the pope. Moreover, the Grand Mosque of Paris dedicated its Friday preaching to the papal visit and to the shared values of Christians and Muslims.
The papal trip continues with a visit to the popular Marian shrine of Lourdes and then of the city of Metz where the pope will hold another Mass.
