PARIS, France — Pope Leo XIV cautioned against losing humanity amid a paradise of machines while addressing Church and state officials at the Élysée Palace in Paris at the start of his four-day visit to France.
Okay News reports that Pope Leo XIV urged officials to ensure technological progress does not come at the expense of human values and dignity following talks with French President Emmanuel Macron.
The pontiff arrived in France on Friday, where he was welcomed at Orly Airport by President Emmanuel Macron. Following his arrival, Pope Leo XIV declined a proposal from Emmanuel Macron to meet with artisans involved in the reconstruction of Notre-Dame Cathedral, with Vatican officials citing a tight schedule.
The visit includes several major public events across France. Following a visit to Notre-Dame Cathedral on Friday, Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to meet approximately 80,000 young people at the Stade de France in northern Paris.
On Saturday, more than 500,000 people are expected to attend a Mass at the Place de la Concorde in Paris, where an altar has been constructed and security measures implemented around the Champs-Élysées. Emmanuel Macron will not attend the Mass due to France’s separation of church and state, though First Lady Brigitte Macron, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, and political figures Marine Le Pen, Edouard Philippe, Gabriel Attal, and Bruno Retailleau are expected to be present.
The itinerary continues on Sunday with a scheduled Mass at the Catholic sanctuary of Lourdes in the Pyrenees, where 150,000 people have registered to attend. Pope Leo XIV will conclude his trip on Monday in Metz, located in northeastern France, to pay tribute to Robert Schuman, a devout Catholic and founding figure of the European Union who is currently a candidate for beatification.
