▲ Pope Leo XIV greets French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace in Paris.
Pope Leo XIV on September 25 (local time) kicked off a four-day official visit to France, issuing warnings against the indiscriminate use of artificial intelligence and the risks of a nuclear arms race.
This marks the first official visit to France by a pope since Pope Benedict XVI in September 2008.
During his first scheduled stop at the Élysée Palace in Paris, where he met with French President Emmanuel Macron and other officials, the Pope addressed the issue of AI, emphasizing, "We must not lose our humanity in the paradise of machines that has entered our daily lives."
He added, "There is an urgent need to educate and train ethical discernment so that we can distinguish what is morally good."
"I am concerned about recent trends where science and technology risk being turned into profitable businesses that promote genetic manipulation, surrogate motherhood, organ trafficking, and the provision of scheduled death," the Pope urged, adding, "Let us not forget that mutual respect and the protection of all human life are the responsibility of us all."
The Pope also expressed concern over the arms race and underscored nuclear disarmament.
"The false belief that possessing nuclear weapons guarantees security is spreading," the Pope said, urging, "Peace is not forged through a balance of power, but built day by day through dialogue and justice. Do not resign yourselves to viewing war as inevitable."
The Pope also delivered a speech at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, attended by President Macron and other French leaders.
"Instead of respecting the law, those in power invoke it when it suits their interests and ignore it when it does not," the Pope criticized, adding, "They treat justice as if it were a commodity that can be bought and sold."
The Pope did not single out any specific country or individual.
Speaking at a time when world leaders were gathering in New York for the UN General Assembly, the Pope criticized that the UN and other international agencies are "suffering a crisis of efficacy," noting that "dialogue is regarded not as a resource for peace, but as an obstacle to action, and not as an opportunity to seek the common good, but as a charade."
In addition, the Pope is scheduled to preside over an evening mass at Notre-Dame Cathedral—which has been restored following a 2019 fire—and participate in a late-night prayer with about 80,000 young believers in the northern outskirts of Paris.
Crowds gathered along the streets of Paris as the Pope passed by in an open-top white popemobile.
AFP reported that one million believers are expected to participate in pope-related events during his first two days in Paris.
For the outdoor mass scheduled for Saturday, September 26, at Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Élysées in central Paris, 600,000 people have already registered to attend.
Beyond Paris, the Pope will visit the southern pilgrimage destination of Lourdes and Metz, a German border city that served as a focal point for the founding of the European Union.
The Pope's visit to France draws attention as France has spearheaded policies running counter to Catholic principles prioritizing the sanctity of life, such as becoming the world's first country to enshrine the freedom to abortion in its constitution in 2024 and legalizing assisted dying this summer.
Some interpretations have suggested that the Pope's refusal of a French decoration and various hospitality events offered by President Macron—stating he would focus on religious events during this visit—might be an expression of discontent over France's legalization of assisted dying.
The Associated Press noted that given the strong emphasis on secularism—the strict separation of politics, society, and religion—in France, attention is focused on how the country will strike a balance between the Pope's visit and its secular principles.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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