Full speech of Leo XIV before the French authorities
Mr. President,
distinguished Authorities and members of the Diplomatic Corps,
ladies and gentlemen:
It is a great joy for me to be among you today. I am particularly grateful to you, Mr. President, for your cordial invitation to visit France, and I thank you for the words of welcome you have addressed to me. Through you, I also greet all those who inhabit this country of vast cultural and religious heritage. Together they form a people in which the diversity of origins contributes to enlivening and enriching coexistence and democratic life. I also wish to assure you, Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, that France is very often at the center of the Pope’s prayers, who does not forget his Norman and Béarnese family origins.
My journey to France begins in the capital of your country, Paris, frequently defined as the Ville lumière. For centuries France has shone as a cultural, artistic and spiritual beacon, not only in Europe, but also in the world. Strengthened by its cathedral schools, its universities and its academies, essential places for the search for truth, France has contributed to forging the intelligence of peoples far beyond its own borders. The enlightenment of exceptional French minds, who were at the same time great Catholics, underlines to what extent the sciences, the arts, literature and philosophy can contribute to the good of humanity when they are oriented toward the search for the beautiful, the good and the true, so that the world may have life.
French savoir-faire is synonymous with excellence in numerous fields. It has distinguished itself in a particular way in the great work of restoration of the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris, in which numerous institutions, both private and public, participated from the beginning, and to which you, Mr. President, have dedicated particular attention, for which I thank you. I gratefully pay homage to all the artisans and professional categories who have dedicated their efforts to it. The recent reopening of the cathedral for divine worship, as well as for visitors from all over the world, is not only the culmination of a technical enterprise, but the symbol of a recovered hope, the proof that what was believed to be destroyed forever can be reborn thanks to the collaboration of all and the testimony of a unity achieved in common effort. Such a beautiful result should inspire all actors in the political, social and religious life of the country with a new impulse to work unceasingly in a spirit of unity, with the strength of a living hope.
France is also a land of rich Christian roots. Since the times of Saint Irenaeus and the baptism of Clovis, the soul of your homeland has developed by taking from Christianity a spiritual, cultural, intellectual, artistic and missionary genius that today shines throughout the world. Thus, in sixteenth-century France, humanism flourished, seeking to unify the Greco-Roman heritage and the Christian faith. The celebrated thinkers of the Renaissance, and later of the Grand Siècle, were followed by those of the Enlightenment, and France then brought to the world true conquests; among them, the recognition of the rights of man inherent in the nature of the human person, in particular religious freedom. This constant attention to the intrinsic dignity of every human person finds an echo in your national motto. Liberty, equality and fraternity are not simple words engraved on the pediments of your public buildings, but refer to universal ethical demands that also find in the Gospel message an inexhaustible source of inspiration and realization.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, proclaimed in this city of Paris —and in whose elaboration the French jurist and Nobel Peace Prize winner René Cassin played a leading role— had the purpose of creating a general awareness of the inalienable dignity of the human person. Saint John Paul II, who considered this document «a true milestone on the path of moral progress of humanity,» was aware that «every threat to human rights, both in the sphere of material goods and in that of spiritual goods, is equally dangerous for peace, because it always affects man in his integrity.»
The question of respect for human dignity and the fundamental rights and freedoms that derive from human nature arises in every age and must accompany the evolution of society and technical progress. Indeed, «technological development has contributed over the centuries to a significant improvement in the living conditions of humanity; at the same time, each phase of progress has also shown the ambiguous face of instruments capable of causing harm when they are not oriented toward the good» (Encyclical Letter Magnifica humanitas, 4). Already in his time, Georges Bernanos intuited the risk of seeing blind obedience and irresponsibility become masters of a «Paradise of Machines.» He emphasized how, to escape from it, French civilization had worked for centuries in the formation of free men, fully responsible for their actions.
For this reason, it seemed indispensable to me to address, in my first Encyclical Letter, the theme of Artificial Intelligence, in order to return the human person to the center of all reflection. So as not to lose our humanity in the midst of the «paradise of machines» that invades and conditions our daily life, it is urgent to form minds for an ethical discernment capable of recognizing what is morally good. This requirement is fundamental for recognizing the true good that makes man grow according to his primordial vocation, respecting unconditionally his interior freedom and his sacred dignity. In this regard, I would like to recall that «an authentically free society does not impose uniformity, but protects the diversity of consciences, preventing authoritarian drifts and promoting an ethical dialogue that enriches the social fabric» (Address to the Diplomatic Corps, January 9, 2026). This dialogue is even more urgent in the context of present-day France, where people of different cultural and religious backgrounds are called to live together and contribute to the construction of society.
It is precisely thanks to the richness of its social fabric that, for centuries, France has distinguished itself by its attention to diversity and a strong desire for solidarity. Thanks to the illustrious work of men and women who remained faithful to their humanity and the values of the Gospel, the Catholic Church in France has never ceased to work for the good of the most needy, becoming the living face of God’s tenderness and compassion. Let us think of the works of Saint Vincent de Paul, of the charitable renewal of the seventeenth century and, still today, of the numerous Catholic institutions in which health workers accompany brothers and sisters weakened by suffering. Their testimonies of attention and service constitute a true school of humanity on the greatness of care and a vibrant reminder of the unique and irreplaceable value of every human being. They are also an invitation to renewed fraternity that requires learning to welcome life without conditions, to sustain fragility with tenderness, to accompany with respect and mutual trust each stage of existence and to defend with courage and compassion those who have no voice or do not feel sufficiently supported. Therefore, I reiterate «with force that the protection of the right to life constitutes the indispensable foundation of any other human right» (ibid.).
Today there exists the temptation to expect from science a solution and a consolation for all our sufferings. The risk is often to fall into illusion. When science and technology are not guided by conscience, they can propose immediate solutions that seem to respond to the desires and sufferings of men and women, but which in reality can seriously distance them from the good to which they deeply aspire. Sometimes I note with concern the current drifts of societies that run the risk of distorting science and technology by transforming them into lucrative enterprises that favor genetic manipulations, surrogacy, the purchase of organs or the offer of a programmed death. Let us not forget that mutual respect and the protection of the life of every human person are a responsibility of each and all, which begins with a conversion of the intellect and the heart and requires a real and disinterested commitment toward our brothers and sisters.
How can we not see in such a commitment also the expression of the just secularism of the earthly city? The Christian committed to public life, who acts in the light of his conscience illuminated by faith, cannot be considered a proselytizer or a threat to the unity of the homeland. Indeed, true secularism does not exclude the religious dimension, but on the contrary knows how to take advantage of it as an educational resource (cf. Address to participants in the national meeting of Catholic religion teachers, April 25, 2026).
Precisely for this reason, Catholic schools occupy a prominent place in the educational landscape of a country like France. «This is part, moreover, of a broader attitude, indispensable for all dialogue, both in school and in society: to know and love what one is, in order to know how to meet the other with respect and openness» (ibid.).
A just secularism does not therefore consist in excluding religion from the public sphere or from education, but in committing ourselves so that the State and religious institutions dialogue with each other and unite their forces in the service of the common good, so that the world may have life. In this regard, I express my appreciation for the work carried out within the framework of the Dialogue Instance between the Holy See, the Catholic Church in France and the French Government. Indeed, the tireless work of the Catholic Church, through the richness of its expressions and institutions, is certainly precious and worthy of praise for the well-being of the entire society. These exchanges illustrate in a very positive way that healthy complementarity reaffirmed during the Second Vatican Council, in the sense that «[the political community and the Church], although by different title, are at the service of the personal and social vocation of the same men. This service they will carry out all the more effectively, for the good of all, the healthier and better the cooperation between them» (Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Past. Const. Gaudium et spes, 76).
I also note with joy that this same will to serve together each person, regardless of their origin, has for centuries inspired cooperation between France and the Catholic Church in the service of Christians of the East. The educational, social, cultural and humanitarian action developed in the countries of the Middle East, in collaboration with various associations such as Aid to the Church in Need or Œuvre d’Orient, constitutes a valuable contribution to dialogue between peoples and to the protection of the rights of each person.
This is an eloquent testimony in which culture and faith present themselves as the pillars that favor harmony between different peoples and religions in the service of peace and mediation among men. Also in this field, education constitutes a particularly important challenge. It remains, in fact, one of the main sectors of cooperation, finding especially a concrete and fruitful expression through the Fund for Schools of the East. In this regard, I wish to express my gratitude to all the people committed to this project which, since its foundation in 2021, has made it possible to provide support to more than two hundred and sixty educational centers in the Middle East, including seven universities in Lebanon and Bethlehem University.
But how can we evoke this region of the world, where two thousand years ago the Prince of Peace was born, without also thinking of all the populations struck by the consequences of conflicts and of all those who suffer the scourge of war? We cannot remain indifferent to these sufferings that wound human dignity and cry out for justice to God. The gravity of these situations must challenge us and calls each one, wherever he may be, to a true conversion of heart and a change of attitude. Recognizing humbly the need we have for one another, we will be able to commit ourselves together more intensely to the construction of the civilization of love at the heart of our world, which has become so complex and interdependent (cf. Encyclical Letter Magnifica humanitas, 182). At the same time, as my holy predecessor John XXIII already affirmed in his time, «justice, right reason and the sense of human dignity urgently demand that the arms race cease; that, on one side and the other, the nations that possess them reduce them simultaneously; that atomic weapons be prohibited; that, finally, all peoples, by virtue of an agreement, arrive at a simultaneous disarmament, controlled by mutual and effective guarantees» (Encyclical Letter Pacem in terris, 60). Indeed, the erroneous conviction is spreading more and more that the possession of nuclear weapons constitutes a guarantee of security, fueling a new arms race that is difficult to control (cf. Encyclical Letter Magnifica humanitas, 194). In reality, peace is not a balance of forces, but is built every day through dialogue and justice.
I therefore exhort you never to resign yourselves to the perspective of war considering it «inevitable,» but to tirelessly promote dialogue and diplomacy, in order to preserve peaceful societies, respectful of the dignity and rights of the person and of peoples. Faced with rumors of war and the multiple crises that shake our world, France has the vocation to continue being an untiring artisan of peace and multilateralism, particularly within our beloved Europe. May France, faithful to its own values, open the furrow of an unarmed and disarming peace and responsibly offer its irreplaceable contribution in favor of peace. May its freedom grow unceasingly in commitment to the common good; may its fraternity embrace all humanity; and may the equality to which they aspire always be founded on the foundations of justice and charity, without eliminating the differences between persons, but making them bear fruit harmoniously for the benefit of the entire society.
Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, I wish to express to you once again my gratitude for this meeting which, taking up the —significant for each one— words pronounced by Your Excellency to the bishops of France in 2018, makes manifest how «a Church that pretended to be disinterested in temporal questions would not fully fulfill its vocation; and a President of the Republic who pretended to be disinterested in the Church and Catholics would fail in his duty.» Be assured of my fervent prayer for your beautiful nation.
May God grant it peace, unity and prosperity so that the world may have life. I entrust these desires to the maternal intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Principal Patroness of France.
God bless France and all the French!
