Pope Leo XIV warned on Friday (September 25, 2026) that a “paradise of machines” risked undermining humanity as he opened a trip to France by posing fundamental questions about what it means to be human in the age of Artificial Intelligence, nuclear arms race and other threats to life itself.
Pope raised existential questions about scientific progress, life and human rights during his opening speech to President Emmanuel Macron and diplomats at the Élysee Palace.
Given the wars plaguing Europe and the Middle East, he reaffirmed the Vatican’s opposition to nuclear weapons and said the nuclear deterrence doctrine was “mistaken” since it was just fueling a new arms race. “Peace is not a balance of power; rather, it is built day by day through dialogue and justice,” he said.
Pope arrived in Paris at the start of four intense days in France, where the Catholic Church has lost ground in influencing ethical issues given the strict approach to secularism that is enshrined in the French Constitution.
Church bells across France tolled when Pope’s charter flight landed at Paris’ Orly airport, and upward of a million people are expected to turn out to see him during his visit. The welcome has underscored the surprising level of interest in Pope’s visit, the first by a pope in 18 years.
Later on Friday, Pope was to deliver a speech at UNESCO headquarters, celebrate vespers at the newly reopened Notre-Dame cathedral and then preside over a massive youth vigil at the Paris stadium on Friday night.
A capstone visit as Emmanuel Macron’s term ends
For Macron, who is barred from seeking a third term in May elections, hosting the American pope is something of a capstone, after Pope Francis refused repeatedly to make a proper state visit to France during his 12-year pontificate.
“For a president of the republic as Macron, who is at the end of his mandate, it can be important to be alongside the pope and to capture a part of his popularity. It’s not new,” said Charles Mercier, director of history and sociology of Catholicism studies at Paris EPHE university.
With seven months left in his term, Mr. Macron’s approval ratings are near record lows, driven by anger over the rising cost of living and criticism of France’s growing debt and deficit and deteriorating public services. Mr. Macron’s office said on Friday’s meeting with Pope will provide an opportunity to discuss global challenges such as climate change and Artificial Intelligence, along with European and international affairs. The talks are also expected to address end-of-life care and the protection of children.
Pope to appeal to loftier questions about life
Pope seems keen to emphasise Europe’s Christian roots and try to push the church’s message about the value and dignity of human life in a country where the right to abortion was enshrined in the Constitution in 2024 and where lawmakers recently gave final approval to a Bill allowing adults with incurable illnesses to receive lethal medication.
The French Catholic hierarchy strongly opposed the measures, in keeping with Catholic teaching that human life must be protected and defended from conception until natural death. But the French hierarchy has lost much of its influence amid the secularising trends at play across Western Europe as well as a credibility crisis stemming from France’s reckoning with its legacy of clergy sexual abuse.
France’s distinctive model of secularism, known as laicite and enshrined in its Constitution, guarantees the freedom to believe or not to believe, as well as the freedom to practice a religion as long as it doesn’t disturb public order. It also requires the state to remain neutral toward all religions.
Key rules have been defined by a historic 1905 law, primarily intended to distance the state from the then-powerful influence of the Catholic Church.
High security reminiscent of the Olympics
“Olympic-level security measures were being put in place, including mounted police, bomb disposal experts, anti-drone measures and counter-terrorism measures,” said Paris police prefecture spokesperson Helene Denechere.
In Paris alone, plans called for 14,000 police officers, gendarmes, and military personnel and 2,500 firefighters on Friday (September 25, 2026). On Saturday, when Pope celebrates Mass at the central Place de la Concorde, the numbers are only slightly lower.
“We are implementing a system similar to what was in place during the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which means a protective perimeter around which other security perimeters will be added,” Ms. Denechere said.
Published – September 25, 2026 07:11 pm IST
