In a Secular France, Pope Leo Makes the Case for Faith in Public Life
The pope said secularism can protect religious freedom and public dialogue, as more than 13,200 adults were baptized in France in 2026, bishops said.
- Pope Leo XIV concluded his four-day apostolic journey to France on Monday, arguing the nation's tradition of 'laïcité' need not exclude religious institutions from public life.
- Welcoming the Pope at the Élysée Palace, French President Emmanuel Macron called 'laïcité' 'in no way the negation of religion,' acknowledging centuries of tension between the French Republic and the Catholic Church.
- The French bishops' conference reported more than 13,200 adults were baptized in 2026, a 28% increase, prompting Pope Leo to urge the faithful to reject a 'defeatist attitude' in a secularized culture.
- On Saturday, crowds estimated at more than 700,000 filled the Avenue of Champs-Élysées for the Pope's final Mass, where he encouraged the faithful to bring hope wherever discouragement and spiritual dryness prevail.
- Addressing UNESCO representatives, Pope Leo warned that scientific development alone cannot answer humanity's deepest questions, while Macron emphasized artificial intelligence must remain 'a servant and not a master.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Our Sunday Visitor
In a secular France, Pope Leo makes the case for faith in public life
"Human beings cannot live without meaning. Meaning is the oxygen of the mind," Pope Leo said in Paris.
INTELLINEWS
Courrier internationalShortly after his arrival in Paris on Friday 25 September, the pontiff delivered a speech in French at the Élysée.
Leo XIV had specific things to say to the French and their president, in the name of "the unique and irreplaceable value of every human being" which he witnessed in his mission as pope.
Leo XIV did not come to France to declare war on the Republic, democracy, or secularism. On the contrary, in his speech at the Élysée Palace, he invoked the Republic's own motto: "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity," linking it to human dignity, rights, and freedoms. He also called on France to embrace dialogue, diplomacy, and pluralism, and to play its role in promoting peace. The post Zinedine Zidane and the Pope: Will France Return to Catholicism…
In his first "political" speech, held on Friday 25 September at the Elysée, Léon XIV went back to the conception of "just secularism" which involves the participation of religions, on the political side, in the search for the common good.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 80% of the sources lean Right
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
