Pope Leo XIV ended a historic four-day visit to France today with a warning that relations between nations were growing increasingly uncivilised, while calling on Europe to help halt a dangerous cycle of “lies and deceit”.
Addressing crowds in Metz, the eastern city near the German border, the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics avoided naming any individual world leader.
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The Pope has presented Europe as a necessary counterweight to the world’s major powers. He has previously urged the European Union to overcome internal divisions and recover a sense of unity in the pursuit of peace in Ukraine and elsewhere.
Leo, the first US pontiff, has clashed in recent months with President Donald Trump over Washington’s severe immigration crackdown and the war on Iran.
“Europe can help to break this cycle through the respect for others that it has learned to cultivate and preserve,” Pope Leo said during the first official papal visit to France in almost 20 years.
Metz, which has passed between French and German control during earlier conflicts, is closely linked to Robert Schuman, regarded as one of the European Union’s founding fathers and buried near the city.
Mr Macron saw the Pope off in Metz.
“We’re sad that he’s leaving, but happy that everything went well,” he said.
Pope with ‘political stand’
During the visit, the Pope has appeared relaxed and approachable, smiling often and engaging readily with those who came to see him.
“We are very pleased to have a Pope who dares to take a political stand,” said Isabelle Gerber, a Protestant pastor.
The aviation enthusiast also spent 30 minutes this morning in the cockpit of the Air France aircraft that carried him to Metz. He later blessed the crews of the Rafale fighter jets escorting his plane.
In his address, Leo called for “courage in negotiation” and compromise to end the war on the continent, an apparent reference to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, now in its fifth year.
“Sadly, war has returned, even to Europe,” he said.
“We need to commit ourselves to patient dialogue, to show courage in negotiation and to be willing to give up some positions for the greater good of peace.”
Vladimir Putin has shown little willingness to negotiate an end to the war against Ukraine.
Leo also appealed for unity as nationalist movements gather momentum across Europe. France’s anti-immigration far right is hoping to win next year’s election and replace Macron, a centrist, as president.
The pontiff said Europe was “entering a new stage” as men and women escaping war and persecution arrived on the continent, and urged countries to receive them.
“We must grasp the historical significance of what is taking place, namely an unprecedented encounter between peoples and cultures.”
French authorities said three undocumented migrants, including a 10-year-old boy, died off the French coast today while attempting to cross the Channel to Britain.
‘Something very positive’
Speaking alongside the Pope, Mr Macron said Europe must stand against the return of nationalist politics.
Europe “must rediscover the courage of its founders – yes, courage – in order to become the force for peace, independence and democracy that it is meant to be,” he said.
Later in the day, Leo travelled through Metz in his popemobile before celebrating mass at St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the Gothic landmark renowned for its stained-glass windows.
Mr Macron and his wife Brigitte attended the service.
Drawing on Metz’s history as a city marked by two world wars, Leo said in his homily that reconciliation was “only possible when one has the courage to break the chains of resentment”.
The visit has generated excitement among worshippers in the largely secular country, which nevertheless has deep Catholic roots.
“Whether you’re deeply religious or not, seeing so much joy is moving,” said Celine Denis, 53, in Metz.
“It gives you the feeling of a truce, of something very positive in a context that is anything but positive, because everything feels anxiety-inducing.”
