Pope in France Defends EU Values • FRANCE 24 English

Sep 28, 2026 | There's a new Pope in town and he's got very different ideas on what France's far-right calls the defense of Christian civilization. Leo the 14th concluding his trip to France in the eastern city of Metz, hometown of a founding father of present-day European federalism Maurice Schumann. There, the head of the world's largest organized religion proudly stated fact, that Europe’s roots are Christian, dating back to the Romans, all the while hailing an EU model that transcends 'us versus them' ideology, which brushes aside ‘might is right’ in favor of human rights and international law. We’ll ask how about the schism with the likes of French presidential frontrunner Marine Le Pen and the leader of her National Rally Jordan Bardella. How much does Leo's brand of Catholicism clash with the values of a eurosceptic far-right that continues to make inroads in France and just over the border in neighboring Germany? More broadly, how much of a moral authority can this Pope and this church be in 2026? During his four-day tour of France, Leo acknowledged the damage done by systemic abuse within the Church when he met with victims. Beyond that private meeting, he drew huge crowds. How will this moment be remembered?

Leo XIV Fills Central Paris with around 600,000 People at Giant Outdoor Mass • FRANCE 24 English

Sep 26, 2026 | Hundreds of thousands of people packed Paris’ iconic Champs-Élysées avenue for Pope Leo XIV’s big outdoor Mass on Saturday, a sign of the Catholic Church’s enduring appeal in the once staunchly Catholic but officially secular country.

Leo XIV Says in Paris It Is Possible 'To Live Together in Dignity and Peace' • FRANCE 24 English

Sep 26, 2026 | Vivienne Walt of Time Magazine is our guest. Seema Gupta is live from Rome, and Mélina Guet live from Paris.

Pope Leo XIV's Speech from the Élysée • FRANCE 24 English

Sep 25, 2026 | Watch the replay of Pope Leo XIV's address in french at the Élysée Palace on 25 September, where he spoke about peace, artificial intelligence, France's challenges and the importance of solidarity. The pontiff also condemned gestational surrogacy, calling for greater protection of human dignity during the first day of his four-day visit to France.

Interesting factsL

Pope Leo XIV has significant French roots, with genealogical estimates suggesting he is roughly 40 percent French.

Though born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, United States, genealogical research shows that he has deep French connections on both sides of his family tree:

1. Paternal Lineage: His surname "Prevost" (originally Prévost) is of French origin. His paternal grandmother, Suzanne Louise Fontaine, was born in Le Havre, Normandy, France, in 1894, and his paternal great-grandmother was also French.

2 Maternal Lineage: Through his mother's side (stemming from Louisiana Creole heritage), he possesses both French-Canadian and French Caribbean lineage, including colonial settlers who emigrated from France to New France in the 17th century as well as free people of color with historical ties to French colonial Louisiana.

Source: Google AI

Pope Leo on Same-sex Blessings in the Catholic Church Following German Cardinal Controversy

When asked about the blessing of same-sex couples after a decision by German Cardinal Reinhard Marx in Munich and Freising, Pope Leo XIV said Church unity should not be reduced to sexual ethics.

“First of all, I think it’s very important to understand that the unity or division of the Church should not revolve around sexual matters,” he said. “We tend to think that when the Church is talking about morality, that the only issue of morality is sexual, and in reality, I believe there are much greater and more important issues, such as justice, the equality, freedom of men and women, freedom of religion, that would all take priority before that particular issue.”

Leo said the Holy See had already made clear to the German bishops that it does not agree with the “formalized blessing of couples,” including homosexual couples or couples in irregular situations, beyond what Pope Francis had permitted.

Invoking Francis’ well-known statement of “Tutti, tutti, tutti,” Leo said: “All are welcome, all are invited. All are invited to follow Jesus, and all are invited to look for conversion in their lives.”

“To go beyond that today, I think that the topic can cause more disunity than unity,” he added, “and that we should look for ways to build our unity upon Jesus Christ and what Jesus Christ teaches.”

Pope Leo speaks on this matter.
In other words, do as Catholic priests are expected to do, live without an openly loving relationship! (It works well in the Catholic Church, doesn’t it? Even among the most elevated of clergy in the Vatican!) – © Mark Alexander

Rebel Catholics Defy Vatican’s Calls to Return to Mainstream Church

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The Vatican has excommunicated the priesthood of a rebel Catholic faction. Many of the priests’ followers have refused to renounce them.

This screenshot has been taken from this NYT article. | A procession on Wednesday by the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X in Écône, Switzerland. | Credit: Fabrice Coffrini/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
When the Vatican excommunicated the priesthood of a rebel conservative faction last week, creating the biggest schism in Roman Catholicism in decades, it also hoped to drive the group’s many followers back to the mainstream church.

Instead, according to interviews with some of the faction’s followers in Argentina, Italy and Switzerland, the punishment has been met with defiance.

“It changes nothing,” said Blandine Guillaumin, 42, a teacher at a school run by the group in France. Ms. Guillaumin said she would remain part of the faction, called the Society of St. Pius X, even if the Vatican went ahead with its threat to excommunicate worshipers who stayed loyal to the breakaway group.

“We are sure we are doing God’s will,” Ms. Guillaumin said. It is the society, not the Vatican, she said, that represents “pure, authentic Catholicism.”

Ms. Guillaumin’s defiance embodied the climax of a 56-year-old impasse between the Vatican and the society, founded in 1970 to protest the Roman Catholic Church’s modernizing turn after the Second Vatican Council, which took place between 1962 and 1965.

The society bemoans the council’s change to the form of Catholic services. Though the council allowed priests to hold services in vernacular languages, the society still celebrates the Traditional Latin Mass, arguing it preserves a sense of reverence and mystery. » | Elisabetta Povoledo | Reporting from Écône, Switzerland, where the Society of St. Pius X consecrated new bishops in defiance of Pope Leo XIV. | Sunday, July 5, 2026

Why Pope Leo Excommunicated Members of the Society of St. Pius X | DW News

Jul 4, 2026 | The Vatican has imposed severe disciplinary measures on the ultra-traditionalist Catholic 'Society of St. Pius X' (SSPX). The move comes after the group consecrated bishops without papal consent. We talk to Justin McLellan from the National Catholic Reporter for an in-depth look at the dramatic events within the Catholic Church.

Vatican Excommunicates Ultraconservative Breakaway Bishops in First Crisis for Pope • FRANCE 24

July 2, 2026 | The Vatican excommunicated six bishops from the ultraconservative Society of St Pius X , while warning that any lay believers who "formally adhere" to the breakaway Catholic group would suffer the same fate. The Vatican decree comes a day after the traditionalist group consecrated four new bishops, openly defying a plea from Pope Leo XIV to desist and exacerbating a rift dating from 1988 when the group earlier consecrated four bishops. FRANCE 24's Seema Gupta tells us more about this story.

Liens connexes ici et ici.

Pope Leo Rails against Migrant Deaths on Visit to Spain’s ‘Dock of Shame'

THE GUARDIAN: Pontiff calls on leaders to treat migrants more humanely as he concludes week-long Spanish tour in Gran Canaria

Thus screenshot is from this Guardian article. | The event was held at the dock of Arguineguín in Gran Canaria. Photograph: Borja Suárez/Reuters
The constant flow of people embarking in small, rickety boats to migrate abroad should force a reckoning as to why we have built a world where so many “must risk death to seek life”, Pope Leo has said as he warned: “We cannot grow accustomed to counting the dead.”

Thursday’s speech in the Canary Islands, on the final leg of the pontiff’s week-long tour of Spain, contained Leo’s most pointed comments to date on migration.

Standing near a memorial to the many who had braved the fierce swells of the Atlantic in the hope of carving out a better life in Europe, the pope railed against the world’s “indifference” and called on leaders to treat migrants more humanely.

“Even today, monsters lurk in these seas: mafias that traffic in despair, traffickers who enslave women and children, and those whose indifference allows the poor to be swallowed up by exploitation or oblivion,” he said.

Last year, an estimated 1,906 people died attempting to cross into Europe along the perilous Atlantic route. » | Ashifa Kassam | European community affairs correspondent | Thursday, June 11, 2026

Full Royal Welcome: Spain’s Royal Family & PM Welcomes Pope at Madrid Royal Palace in Grand Ceremony

June 6, 20226 | Pope Leo XIV was received at Madrid’s Royal Palace on June 6 in a formal state ceremony hosted by Spain’s King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, marking a major diplomatic and religious event during the pontiff’s first official visit to Spain.

The reception highlighted longstanding Vatican–Spain relations. Discussions were expected to focus on migration, European unity, and social cohesion. The visit is part of a broader apostolic journey across Spain, including engagements in Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands.

The royal welcome underscores the intersection of faith and state diplomacy at a time of heightened global political and social tensions.

One Is the Pope, the Other an Atheist. They Both Oppose Trump.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Pope Leo XIV and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain, who met on Monday, have recently clashed with President Trump. Their motivations, however, may be different.

This screenshot is from this NYT article. | Pope Leo XIV welcoming Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain at the Vatican last month, in a photo made available by Vatican media. | Vatican Media, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
When Pope Leo met in Madrid with Spain’s left-wing prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, on Monday morning, they represented, at least to many liberals, a powerful duo joining forces to lead the opposition to President Trump.

“They have the same voice,” when it comes to speaking out against Mr. Trump, Cardinal José Cobo of Madrid said.

Pope Leo has drawn the president’s fury for criticizing the war in Iran and later saying he had “no fear” of the Trump administration. Mr. Sánchez has battled Mr. Trump on everything from NATO spending to the migration policy to his opposition to the wars in Gaza and Iran.

Their motivations, though, are seemingly different.

If the pope was dragged into the fight by Mr. Trump, Mr. Sánchez happily jumped in. Mr. Sánchez is perhaps Europe’s most accomplished political escape artist, after wriggling free from countless crises during his eight years in power. His most recent high-wire act has been to seize on international quarrels with Mr. Trump to raise his global profile and distract from troubles at home, especially the corruption scandals and accusations now swirling around his former allies and family.

Appearing with the pope “will help Sánchez with his external public image,” said Joseba Louzao, a professor at Cardinal Cisneros University and author of “A Brief History of the Catholic Church in Spain.”

Meeting the pope at the Vatican’s embassy in Madrid on Monday, Mr. Sánchez sought to underline their connection by giving the pontiff a Spanish olive bonsai tree that was, the Spanish government said in a statement to reporters, “a universal symbol of peace, dialogue and understanding, values shared by Spain and the Vatican.” » | Jason Horowitz | Reporting from Madrid | Monday, June 8, 2026

Leer en español.

Related material here.

Full Speech: Pope Leo XIV Delivers Historic Address at Spanish Parliament in Madrid Visit

June 6, 2026 | Pope Leo XIV delivered a powerful and wide-ranging address at the Spanish Parliament during his apostolic journey in Madrid, focusing on human dignity, democracy, peace, and moral responsibility in public life.

Speaking before Spain’s top political and judicial leaders, including Congress President Francina Armengol and Senate President Pedro Rollán, the Pope emphasized the role of law in protecting human rights and the importance of dialogue in divided societies. His historic speech highlighted Spain’s intellectual legacy and called for unity, justice, and peace. …


THE GUARDIAN:

Pope uses Spain speech to warn of global ‘spiritual and cultural crisis’: Addressing lawmakers, Leo XIV also highlights migration at a time when Madrid is bucking European trends »

Pope Leo Gets a Close Look at First Fully Electric Ferrari

May 27, 2026 | Pope Leo XIV got the chance to sit in the driver's seat of the newly unveiled Ferrari Luce in Castel Gandolfo, Rome, Italy on 26 May. John Elkann, the chairman of the Italian brand, accompanied by other company executives and technical staff, presented the pontiff with a Ferrari steering wheel during the meeting. Ferrari test driver Raffaele de Simone knelt beside the pope while explaining the vehicle's controls and driving modes to the religious leader.

ALSO READ:

Why is Ferrari facing such a backlash to its first electric car?: The Italian marque has broken with the past with its four-door, €550,000 Luce and traditionalists are furious »

At the Epicenter of A.I., Pope Leo’s Warnings Are Dismissed

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Pope Leo XIV’s spiritual message on artificial intelligence arrived as Silicon Valley’s A.I. enthusiasts pursue their own spirituality through technology.

When Pope Leo XIV presented a 42,300-word open letter to the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics on Monday, calling for protections against the rise of artificial intelligence, he was joined by Christopher Olah, a co-founder of Anthropic, which is one of the tech industry’s leading A.I. companies.

As Leo urged corporate executives, government regulators and other citizens of the world to safeguard humanity from the dangers of A.I., he included Mr. Olah as a symbol of the dialogue he hopes to foster between the leaders of the spiritual and technological worlds.

But for Jeremy Nixon, Monday’s gathering at the Vatican showed that those two worlds are far from aligned. While the pope said that A.I. was fundamentally not human, Mr. Nixon, a well-connected figure in the Bay Area’s frenetic A.I. scene, argued that Mr. Olah’s remarks seemed to hint at the opposite.

“They are not in dialogue,” Mr. Nixon said during an interview at A.G.I. House, a San Francisco “hacker house” with deep ties to many of the people who helped create the A.I. technologies discussed in the pope’s encyclical. “Their perspectives are distinct.”

The difference between the humanist’s view of A.I.’s risks and the technologist’s dream of what it could become is something that has long been discussed in Mr. Nixon’s community. “It is the reason the community exists,” Mr. Nixon said. “It is its underlying purpose.” » | Cade Metz | Reporting from San Francisco | Tuesday, May 26, 2026

Why the Vatican Wants Tougher AI Rules | DW News

May 25, 2026 | The head of the Catholic Church is taking on artificial intelligence. Pope Leo XIV is calling for tougher AI regulation, warning against autonomous weapons, concentrated corporate power, and a future where humans lose control. But can the Vatican really shape the AI revolution?

Pope Leo Denounces ‘Culture of Power’ Driving Rise of AI

THE GUARDIAN: Pontiff calls for ‘disarming’ of artificial intelligence and apologises for church’s delay in condemning slavery

This screenshot has been taken from this Guardian article, | Pope Leo XIV at the presentation of his first encyclical at the Vatican on Monday. Photograph: Yara Nardi/Reuters
Pope Leo has denounced the “culture of power” driving the rapid rise of artificial intelligence while warning that the technology must be subject to the “most rigorous” ethical constraints as it infiltrates everything from work to war.

In his encyclical – the first major text on safeguarding humankind of his papacy – he also apologised for the Catholic church’s long delay in condemning slavery, describing it as “a wound in Christian memory”, and spoke of the “new forms of slavery” due to the digital economy.

In a break from tradition, Leo, who soon after being elected in May last year said he considered AI to be the biggest threat to humanity today, presented the document himself on Monday during an event at the Vatican. Among those in attendance was Christopher Olah, a co-founder of Anthropic, a US-based AI firm thatis embroiled in a lawsuit with Donald Trump’s administration over the ethics of AI. » | Angela Giuffrida in Rome | Monday, May 25, 2026

Americans Hail Pope Leo XIV as ‘Breath of Fresh Air’ One Year In, as Trump Clashes Linger

THE GUARDIAN: One year on the job, the first US pope wins support for his progressive views and his defiance of Donald Trump

This screenshot was taken from this Guardian article. | Pope Leo XIV, the first US pontiff, greets the crowd from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica following his election on 8 May 2025. Photograph: Tiziana Fabi/AFP/Getty Images
As Pope Leo XIV concludes his first year as the first American pope on Friday, Americans shared with the Guardian how they feel about the 70-year-old pontiff who has increasingly found himself at odds with Donald Trump.

Several described his papacy as a “breath of fresh air” compared with earlier, more conservative eras of church leadership.

For Brock Horton, a 69-year-old retired public school teacher in San Antonio, Texas, the pope feels “authentic and not just an archaic mouthpiece for a failing religion”.

“Pope Leo is bringing Jesus’s teachings forward instead of church dogma … If you can’t welcome strangers and treat everyone with love and dignity, you have no place leading anyone. I will never become a Catholic, but with Leo, I see a loving person first, and a pontiff second,” Horton said.

“The fact that he lives in Donald Trump’s head is also a plus,” he added, referring to Trump’s latest attacks on the pope. » | Maya Yang | Friday, May 8, 2026

Trump Accuses Pope of ‘Endangering a Lot of Catholics’ with Iran Stance

THE GUARDIAN: US president directs fresh criticism at pontiff days before secretary of state Marco Rubio’s visit to Vatican

Donald Trump has issued a fresh verbal attack against Pope Leo XIV, accusing the pontiff of “endangering a lot of Catholics” because “he thinks it’s fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon”.

The remarks come two days before Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, meets Leo at the Vatican in an effort to ease the tensions sparked by Trump’s previous broadside against the Chicago-born pontiff over his condemnation of the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Speaking to Hugh Hewitt, a prominent conservative radio talkshow host on the US-based Salem News network, Trump said the pope “would rather talk about the fact that it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, and I don’t think that’s very good”.

“I think he’s endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people,” the US president added. “But I guess if it’s up to the pope, he thinks it’s just fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”
Leo has never said that Iran should have nuclear weapons, but has repeatedly opposed the war on the country and the subsequent escalation of the conflict in Lebanon and the wider Middle East, calling for ceasefires and dialogue. » | Angela Giuffrida in Rome |Tuesday, May 5, 2026

Somebody should inform Trump that it is just not done to attack the pope. To do so is in very bad taste. Furthermore, it is also wrong to try and drag the pope into politics. Popes are men of the cloth, theologians, who deserve respect and who are far above dirty politics. Trump should learn that this pope should be held in very high esteem, for Pope Leo is a man of great dignity. Trump should cease and desist.

But when it comes to endangering the lives of Catholics, Trump is without equal. Trump himself is endangering Catholics’ lives in Cuba every single day with his harsh sanctions on the country and having Cuba on his list of nations to punish after he has finished punishing Iran. Such hypocrisy! — © Mark Alexander

MAGA Pastor Completely Humiliated by Laughing Panel as He's Totally Out of His Depth

Apr 20, 2026 | Donald Trump’s disastrous and unwinnable war with Iran is finally fracturing his own base, and the entire meltdown just spilled onto live television.

In this massive, unedited 21-minute masterclass, commentators Wajahat Ali and Tim Miller systematically dismantle a pro-Trump MAGA pastor, exposing how Trump’s broken promises and unhinged feud with the Pope are destroying his coalition from the inside out.

When the pastor attempts to defend the administration’s chaotic foreign policy and Pete Hegseth’s bizarre biblical justifications, Wajahat Ali delivers one of the most brutal live takedowns in recent memory.

As gas prices soar and the "America First" coalition splinters—with figures like Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens defecting—Trump is left isolated in a forever war he promised never to start.

This video breaks down the explosive panel exchange, the devastating reality of Trump’s catastrophic Middle East blunders, and why the MAGA coalition is experiencing a total meltdown in real-time.


Trump is a DISGRACE. He should be REMOVED from office WITHOUT DELAY. — © Mark Alexander

Pope Leo Backs Away from Trump Standoff | DW News

Apr 18, 2026 | Pope Leo has seemingly backed away from what many saw as a war of words with Donald Trump. Speaking to journalists on a flight from Angola to Cameroon, he said he had no interest in debating the US president. After one of the most explosive church-state clashes in modern history, is this a principled position or a tactical retreat? From "no fear" to "no debate," what changed for the American who leads the Catholic Church? America Magazine Vatican correspondent Colleen Dulle provides the analysis.