DOMINANT ANGLE
France takes away from the visit of Léon XIV a diagnosis of its own society more than a simple diplomatic meeting: secularism, end of life and the awakening of a Catholic youth seeking meaning occupy a place just as central as the warning about artificial intelligence.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Léon XIV warned at the Élysée against the advent of a "machine paradise" and stated that "just secularism does not consist of excluding religion from the public space" (Le Monde/France 24)
- 02
300,000 people cheered the pope in the popemobile in Paris and 80,000 young people attended the vigil at the Stade de France where he called on them to live the "combat of faith" without "weapons of violence, contempt, or oppression" (Le Monde)
- 03
The Church estimates the cost of the visit at 27 million euros, with 18 million missing for the Parisian stage, while the Conference of Bishops records more than 21,000 baptisms at Easter 2026, three times more than ten years ago (RFI)
ANALYSIS
Paris, September 26, 2026. After eighteen years without a papal visit, the French press sees Leon XIV's stay as less of a diplomatic ritual and more of a mirror held up to society. Welcomed on Friday at Orly Airport by Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron, the Pope spoke at the Élysée just after the President, before cardinals and political leaders, to warn against the advent of a "paradise of machines" and affirm that "just secularism does not consist of excluding religion from the public sphere", according to Le Monde. He praised the collaboration between the State and the Church, echoing Emmanuel Macron who defended a "French secularism" that is "in no way a negation of" faith. RFI reports that he was "offensive" on GPA and end-of-life issues, two social debates that are stirring the country; the HuffPost notes, however, that he almost never pronounces the words "euthanasia" or "abortion" himself in his speeches. Before UNESCO, he repeated his call to regulate artificial intelligence: BFMTV details his project for an "international tribunal" of AI and quotes his phrase, "disarming does not mean renouncing technology". In the evening, 80,000 young people gathered at the Stade de France heard him call to live the "combat of faith" without resorting to "the arms of violence, contempt or oppression", while 300,000 people acclaimed him in the popemobile in Paris, according to the Vatican. France 24 highlights the hope of militants from the Anuncio movement: "May his message awaken France". RFI notes a religious resurgence embodied by a Catholic youth in search of "meaning and community", with more than 21,000 baptisms at Easter 2026, triple the number ten years ago according to the Conference of Bishops of France. On the political level, 20 Minutes notes the expected presence on Saturday at the Concorde mass of Marine Le Pen, Gabriel Attal and Édouard Philippe, presidential candidates, but the absence of Emmanuel Macron. The cost of the visit, budgeted at 27 million euros by the Church, remains, according to RFI, underfinanced by 18 million for the Parisian stage alone, an event tourism that has boosted bookings to Lourdes by 171%.
SOURCES (6)
- 20 MinutesMEDIUM
- HuffPost FranceMEDIUM
- BFMTVMEDIUM
