Pope Leo XIV is set to visit France from September 25-28, a country where the influence of the Catholic Church has waned amid secularizing trends and the impact of the clergy sexual abuse scandal. Despite this, French bishops expect 1 million people to see him during his visit. The pope's message is expected to focus on protecting human life and dignity, a theme that will likely resonate with some but clash with France's liberal stance on abortion and euthanasia.
France's National Assembly enshrined abortion as a constitutional right in 2024, and recently gave final approval to a bill allowing adults with incurable illnesses to receive lethal medication. This move is at odds with Catholic teaching, which holds that life must be defended from conception until natural death. Pope Leo XIV is expected to make a similar appeal to protect life during his visit, particularly during a Mass at the shrine of Lourdes, a site associated with miraculous cures.
The French bishops' conference reported that more than 13,000 adults were baptized at Easter this year in France, a number that has more than tripled since 2016. However, experts caution that this trend does not counteract the overall generational decline in Church attendance. In 1980, there were 513,000 baptisms in France; in 2024, this number had fallen to 186,000. Pope Leo XIV will meet with some of these new converts during a special audience.
Pope Leo XIV's visit to France will also include events aimed at broadening his message to an international audience. On September 25, he will visit UNESCO to speak about artificial intelligence and the value of education and art. His AI encyclical, "Magnificent Humanity," called for robust AI regulation and for developers to slow down – a stance that has put him at odds with the Trump administration.
The pope's position on AI has significant implications, particularly given the Trump administration's announcement that it is withdrawing from UNESCO. On his final day in France, Pope Leo XIV will visit the northern city of Metz, the birthplace of Robert Schuman, one of the founding fathers of European integration. He will participate in a meeting with other faith leaders and speak at a European conference on peace.
During his visit, Pope Leo XIV will also meet with victims of clergy sexual abuse, a gathering that includes one who was an adult when abused. The French church has faced a brutal reckoning with its legacy of abuse, with an independent report estimating 330,000 children had been abused over 70 years by some 3,000 priests and church workers. The church has put in place an independent system of compensation for victims.
In Lourdes, Pope Leo XIV will be reminded of a high-profile abuse case inherited from Pope Francis. The façade of one of the Lourdes basilicas was designed by the Rev. Marko Rupnik, who is currently on trial in a Vatican court, accused of abusing dozens of women. The pope's visit comes as France continues to grapple with its complex relationship between faith and secularism.
Key points
- Pope Leo XIV's visit to France highlights the tension between the country's secular trends and Catholic views on abortion and euthanasia.
- The pope's message on protecting human life and dignity is expected to resonate with some but clash with France's liberal stance on key issues.
- The visit also underscores the ongoing challenges facing the French church, including the legacy of clergy sexual abuse and declining Church influence.
