Pope Leo XIV sharply criticised unnamed world leaders on Friday, accusing them of violating the law and subordinating justice to their interests. He made the remarks in a speech at the Élysée Palace in Paris, attended by President Emmanuel Macron and a number of political and diplomatic officials, at the start of an official visit to France.
The Pope said that “those in power cite the law when it serves their interests and disregard it when it conflicts with their freedom”, arguing that justice was being treated as a commodity that could be bought and sold. He called for “not treating the suffering caused by wars with indifference or regarding it as inevitable”, and also warned of the growing spread of nuclear weapons.
The Pope’s previous positions on international conflicts
Leo XIV renewed his commitment to resolving conflicts and making the call for peace a priority in his positions since taking office in 2025. His remarks in Paris followed previous international positions, including criticism during a visit to Cameroon last April of conflicts being prolonged by what he called “tyrants who disregard their peoples’ basic needs, such as healthcare and education”.
The current year has also seen a sharp verbal exchange between the Pope and US President Donald Trump, after the Pope criticised the course of the war in Iran and called for it to end. This comes amid Leo XIV’s growing engagement with international issues and conflicts since his election in May 2025.
Religious warnings on science and society
The Pope’s speech in Paris also addressed social and scientific issues. He condemned attempts to exclude religion from public life and renewed his outright opposition to euthanasia, two months after French authorities approved legislation on assisted dying. He also warned against genetic manipulation, surrogacy and the human-organ trade, stressing the need for ethical safeguards to prevent science and technology becoming profit-making tools that undermine human dignity and the right to life.
On modern technology, Leo XIV warned of the risks of artificial intelligence and the direct impact of machines on the details of daily life. He called on French President Emmanuel Macron to launch a joint international effort to prevent these technologies from being monopolised by a small group.
International call to prevent AI monopolisation
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Friday: UNESCO visit, Notre-Dame prayer and youth vigil at the Stade de France. Saturday: Mass in Paris and Lourdes. Sunday: Mass, bishops’ meeting and sexual-abuse survivors’ meeting. Monday: interfaith forum in Metz before departure for Rome.
The visit is the first official papal presence in France since 2008. Friday’s programme includes a visit to the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO, prayers at Notre-Dame Cathedral and an evening prayer vigil with French young people at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis.
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Saturday and Sunday Masses
The Pope is due to lead a Mass at Paris’s Place de la Concorde on Saturday before travelling to Lourdes. On Sunday, he will attend a religious Mass, meet France’s bishops and hold a meeting with survivors of sexual abuse in Catholic Church institutions.
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The tour concludes in Metz
The official tour will conclude next Monday in Metz, where the Pope will take part in an interfaith forum and deliver a speech focused on peace and unity on the European continent, before leaving France directly for the Italian capital, Rome.
