Beginning a four-day trip to France, Pope Leo XIV issued a stark warning regarding the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, urging the world not to surrender its soul to technology. Addressing church and government leaders at the Élysée Palace following discussions with President Emmanuel Macron, the pontiff expressed concern about the risk of “losing our humanity amid a paradise of machines.”
The visit features a centerpiece mass on Saturday in Paris, anticipated to draw over half a million attendees. Security measures have been intensified around the Place de la Concorde, where an altar has been erected, and sections of the Champs-Élysées have been cordoned off. Organizers attribute the substantial public interest to a resurgence of spiritual engagement among French and European populations.
Pope Leo XIV, originally named Robert Prevost and born in Chicago in 1955, arrived at Orly Airport on Friday. His itinerary includes a popemobile procession through Notre Dame and an evening gathering with 80,000 young people at the Stade de France. On Sunday, he will travel to the Pyrenean sanctuary of Lourdes for a mass attended by 150,000 registered faithful. The schedule also includes a tribute to European Union founding father Robert Schuman in Metz and meetings with migrants and survivors of clerical abuse.
While President Macron will not attend the religious ceremonies to respect France’s secular laws, First Lady Brigitte Macron and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu will be present. Several presidential candidates, including Marine Le Pen, Edouard Philippe, Gabriel Attal, and Bruno Retailleau, are expected to join the events.
Reports emerged of diplomatic friction between the Élysée and the Vatican regarding the visit’s protocol. President Macron reportedly sought a more ceremonial experience, such as a cavalry escort, which palace officials dismissed as a standard courtesy that was never expected to be utilized. Additionally, the Pope declined an invitation to meet artisans involved in the restoration of Notre Dame due to scheduling constraints.
The visit highlights the complex historical and contemporary relationship between France and the Catholic Church. Although France was once revered as the “Eldest Daughter of the Church,” it has since become highly secularized. Regular Mass attendance has dropped from 35% in 1960 to under 5% today, and the priesthood has shrunk from 25,000 to fewer than 9,000 since 1990. However, Cardinal François Bustillo noted a potential revival, pointing to a doubling of adult baptisms in recent years.
“France has indeed secularised, but there is a void where God and values used to be,” Cardinal Bustillo said, suggesting that the Pope’s visit serves as a reminder of spiritual roots. He remarked, “It was John-Paul II who awoke the East. Now Leo XIV will awake the West.”
The detail about Macron wanting a cavalry escort is funny. Diplomacy must be exhausting when protocols clash like that.
Is the Church simply chasing relevance by addressing AI? I wonder if these grand spectacles actually influence the average French person.
I am amazed that 150,000 people registered for the Lourdes mass. Does this mean faith is actually making a comeback in France?
A paradise of machines sounds terrifying if it means losing our soul. The Pope’s warning is timely and necessary.