Pope Leo XIV Concludes France Trip in Metz with Focus on European Unity and AI

Schuman's Legacy as a Program

Schuman, who lived from 1886 to 1963, is considered—along with Jean Monnet and Konrad Adenauer—an architect of the Schuman Plan named after him, dated May 9, 1950, which is regarded as the birth of the European Coal and Steel Community and, subsequently, the European Communities and the EU. In his sermon, the Pope highlighted the values of reconciliation, peace, and shared responsibility, participants reported. Thousands of faithful lined the square in front of the cathedral.

The day before, Leo XIV had taken an unusual step in Paris: he celebrated his Mass at the Place de la Concorde, a site deeply associated with secular republican France. It was on this square that King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette were executed by guillotine during the French Revolution. Observers interpreted the choice of location as a deliberate gesture of dialogue between Church and Republic.

Warning of a "Paradise of Machines"

In his Paris address, the Pope also spoke out against the uncontrolled development of artificial intelligence. He warned of a "paradise of machines" and called for stronger guardrails for the technology. In contrast to the government of Donald Trump, which pursues deregulation, the head of the Catholic Church positioned himself as a voice urging ethical limits on AI.

According to the Vatican, the trip was also marked by concern over the anxieties many young people feel about the future. In conversations with bishops and youth representatives, Leo XIV repeatedly addressed the growing fear of the future, fueled by wars, the climate crisis, and technological upheavals. In Metz, he called on the faithful not to succumb to fear but to rely on shared values and European solidarity.

Meeting with Macron and Outlook on Global Affairs

The visit also drew political attention through a meeting with Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace. According to the presidential office, the topics discussed included Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, and Europe's role in an increasingly multipolar world order. The Pope praised European integration as a peace project and recalled Schuman's legacy.

The unusual venue of the Paris Mass attracted considerable attention. The Place de la Concorde, located between the Champs-Élysées and the Jardin des Tuileries, is today a central site of the capital and a venue for national celebrations. French commentators viewed the holding of a Catholic Mass precisely there as a gesture of reconciliation between the Church and France's laicist tradition.

Signal for the Beatification of Schuman

On the margins of the trip, the Vatican also announced that it would advance the beatification process for Robert Schuman. This would place the politician among those European laypeople honored by the Church for their contributions to peace and unity. An official confirmation from Rome had not yet been issued, but bishops in Metz spoke of an important signal for Europe's self-understanding.

With his return to Rome, a trip described by the Vatican as programmatic came to an end. It spanned the arc from the remembrance of European reconciliation, to the warning about the risks of new technologies, and to dialogue with secular society, according to officials. Leo XIV's upcoming stops on his calendar have not yet been officially announced.

Overall, observers drew a positive assessment. The choice of locations—from the Parisian Place de la Concorde, to the Élysée Palace meeting, to the Schuman city of Metz—underscored the aim of building bridges between Church, politics, and civil society. His clear words on artificial intelligence were also viewed in international media as distinctive and against the grain of laissez-faire policies.