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Pope Leo XIV Addresses French Converts and Liturgy Debate
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In Short: Pope Leo XIV welcomed French converts and addressed the country's secular challenges during his visit.
Pope Leo XIV arrived in Paris Sept. to begin his whirlwind visit, where he was personally welcomed by President Emmanuel Macron at the airport.
At the 18th-century palace, Pope Leo delivered his first public address, emphasizing the importance of mutual respect and the protection of every human life, referencing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaimed in Paris.
The pope highlighted the theme of his visit, 'That the world may have life,' resonating with the faithful amid recent legal changes in France, including the legalization of 'assisted dying' and abortion as a constitutional right.
Pope Leo XIV also addressed the tension between science and deeper wisdom, cautioning against the risk of self-delusion when expecting science to eliminate suffering.
The pope acknowledged the paradox of a more conservative cohort of Catholics emerging in a deeply secularized France, noting the rise in adult baptisms and adolescent catechumens since 2016.
During the synodal assembly, Pope Leo heard from recent converts, including a young man from the Diocese of Nanterre who found his faith through reading the Bible and watching videos online.
A woman from the Diocese of Creteil asked the pope how to avoid the 'baptism blues,' the feeling of emptiness after the initial zeal of conversion.
Pope Leo urged the assembly to embody a 'state of initiation,' offering continued guidance to new Catholics.
The pope was visibly moved by the nearly 80,000 people, especially young people, who joined in celebration of the Catholic faith at the Stade de France.
Referencing Joan of Arc, Pope Leo urged young people to fight evil with 'self-giving love' rather than violence, emphasizing that 'our battle is not against others.
What this adds
The pope's visit also included a meeting with seven French survivors of clergy sexual abuse, as critics demand further action from the Vatican.
Background
Pope Leo XIV urged 80,000 young people gathered at the Stade de France on Sept. 25 to pursue holiness, peace, and a 'living relationship with Jesus,' during an evening prayer vigil that showcased the diversity of France’s Catholic youth.
Pope Leo XIV will meet with seven French survivors of clergy sexual abuse during his visit to Lourdes, as critics demand further action.
What's still developing
- “Nowadays there is a temptation to expect science to eliminate or alleviate every form of suffering. This often brings the risk of self-delusion,” Pope Leo said.
- Pope Leo said that France is a country that is frequently in his prayers, recalling his personal family origins in Normandy and Béarn.
- The motto for the papal visit is “That the world may have life” (John 6:51), a theme that resonates with the faithful in the country after a vote by French lawmakers in July to legalize “assisted dying,” including euthanasia and assisted suicide in certain cases, a move that French bishops called a “radical choice.” The French Parliament also made abortion a constitutional right in 2024.
- “For when science and technology are not guided by a deeper wisdom, they can offer immediate solutions that apparently address people’s wishes and their pain, but can seriously divert them from the greater good to which they aspire.” The pope pointed to the witness of the charitable works of St.
- “These examples of care and concern serve as a true lesson in humanity; they show the grandeur of compassion and are a powerful reminder of the unique and irreplaceable worth of every human being.” Pope Leo highlighted the centrality of the Catholic faith in French culture for many centuries as “a land with deep Christian roots” from the second-century St.
- At the same time, secularized France is witnessing the emergence of a more conservative cohort of Catholics, who are drawn to the church’s traditional rites and liturgy.
- But he also took the opportunity to promote a spirit of unity and dialogue among France’s traditionalist Catholics, many of them attached to the old Latin liturgy.
- The pope was presented with a spectacle of music and costumes, as actors impersonated the history of France’s saints, including a horse-riding Joan of Arc, the patron saint of France whose image has also long been embraced by the country’s Catholic and nationalist right.
- The artistic direction of the vigil was handled by Jean-Baptiste Darantière, son of the head of Notre-Dame de Chrétienté, which organizes traditional liturgy pilgrimages from Paris to Chartres.