Mr President, Distinguished Authorities and Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a joy for me to be with you today. I am particularly grateful, Mr President, for your gracious invitation to visit France, and I thank you for your words of welcome. Through you, I extend my greetings to all those who live in this country, with its immense cultural and religious patrimony. Together, they make up a people whose diverse origins have enlivened and enriched the nation and its democracy. I would assure you, Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, that France is frequently in the Pope’s prayers, as he has not forgotten his family’s origins in Normandy and Béarn.

My visit to France begins in Paris, the country’s capital, often known as the City of Light. For centuries, France has served as a cultural, artistic and spiritual beacon, not only for Europe but also for the whole world. With its cathedral schools, universities and academies dedicated to the pursuit of truth, France has helped to shape the outlook of peoples far beyond its borders. The many brilliant French scholars who were also faithful Catholics demonstrates clearly how the sciences and the arts, literature and philosophy, can contribute to the good of humanity when they are directed toward the pursuit of beauty, goodness and truth, that the world may have life.

French expertise is synonymous with excellence in numerous fields. This was particularly evident in the vast project of restoring the cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris, in which numerous private and public institutions were involved from the outset, and to which you, Mr President, were especially committed. For this, I thank you. I express my deep appreciation to the many artists, builders, technicians and skilled workers who took part in the restoration. The cathedral’s reopening for the celebration of divine worship, and its embrace of visitors from around the world, was not only an impressive technical achievement but also a symbol of renewed hope. It showed that something considered irreparably destroyed can be reborn through mutual cooperation, and it bore eloquent witness to the unity born of commitment to a common cause. May this remarkable achievement encourage all those responsible for the country’s political, social and religious life to work tirelessly and as one, inspired by a firm and lively hope.

France is a land with deep Christian roots. From the time of Saint Irenaeus and the baptism of Clovis, the soul of the nation has drawn from Christianity a rich spiritual, cultural, intellectual, artistic and missionary élan that continues to be felt in our world today. So it was that humanism flourished in sixteenth century France, as a means of uniting the heritage of classical Greece and Rome with the Christian faith. With the great thinkers of the Renaissance, and later of the Grand Siècle, succeeded by those of the Enlightenment, France was responsible for significant advances in our world, including the recognition of human rights grounded in the nature of the human person, particularly religious freedom. This constant focus on the dignity inherent in every person is echoed in your national motto. Liberty, equality and fraternity are not simply words emblazoned on the front of your public buildings; they refer to universal ethical imperatives that also find in the Gospel message an inexhaustible source of inspiration and fulfillment.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was proclaimed here in Paris — and in the drafting of which the French jurist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate René Cassin played a leading role — sought to foster a broader awareness of the inalienable dignity of the human person. Saint John Paul II, who regarded the Declaration as “a real milestone on the path of the moral progress of humanity,” was well aware that “any threat to human rights, whether in the field of material realities or in that of spiritual realities, is equally dangerous for peace, since in every instance it concerns man in his entirety.” [1]

The question of respect for human dignity and the fundamental rights and freedoms that derive from human nature is one that arises in every age and must necessarily keep pace with societal change and technological progress. To be sure, “over the centuries, technological development has significantly improved the living conditions of humanity. At the same time, each phase of progress has also revealed the ambiguity of tools that can cause harm when not oriented toward the good” (Encyclical Letter Magnifica Humanitas, 4). In his own day, Georges Bernanos saw the threat that blind obedience and irresponsibility could lead to a “Paradise of Machines,” and pointed out that French civilization had instead sought for centuries to form free men and women who are fully responsible for their actions. [2]

For this reason, I considered it essential to address the subject of Artificial Intelligence in my first Encyclical Letter, with the aim of making the human person once more the focal point of reflection. If we are to avoid losing our humanity amid a “paradise of machines” invading and conditioning our daily lives, there is an urgent need for education in ethical discernment and the capacity to acknowledge the moral good. This is indispensable if we are to recognize the genuine good that enables human beings to flourish in accordance with their primordial vocation, with unconditional respect for their interior freedom and their sacred dignity. Here, I would once more observe that “a truly free society does not impose uniformity but protects the diversity of consciences, preventing authoritarian tendencies and promoting an ethical dialogue that enriches the social fabric” ( Address to Members of the Diplomatic Corps Accredited to the Holy See, 9 January 2026). This dialogue is all the more urgent in the context of present-day France, where people of differing cultural and religious backgrounds are called to live together and contribute to the progress of society.

It is precisely because of its rich and varied social fabric that France has for centuries been distinguished by a sensitivity to diversity and a strong commitment to solidarity. Through the remarkable efforts of men and women who remained faithful to their humanity and to the values of the Gospel, the Catholic Church in France has demonstrated constant concern for the welfare of the poor and underprivileged, and has sought to be the living face of God’s own mercy and compassion. We can think of the apostolic works of Saint Vincent de Paul, the revival of charity in the seventeenth century, and, in our own day, those many Catholic institutions where caregivers accompany our brothers and sisters in their sufferings. These examples of care and concern serve as a true lesson in humanity; they show the grandeur of compassion and are a powerful reminder of the unique and irreplaceable worth of every human being. They are also a summons to a renewed sense of fraternity, which teaches us to welcome life unconditionally, to support frailty with loving care, to accompany every stage of life with respect and mutual trust, and to defend with courage and compassion those unable to make their voices heard and those who feel ignored or overlooked. That is why I “firmly reiterate that the protection of the right to life constitutes the indispensable foundation of every other human right” ( i bid. ).

Nowadays there is a temptation to expect science to eliminate or alleviate every form of suffering. This often brings the risk of self-delusion. For when science and technology are not guided by a deeper wisdom, they can offer immediate solutions that apparently address people’s wishes and their pain, but can seriously divert them from the greater good to which they aspire. I am concerned at times by those trends in society that risk turning science and technology into profit-driven ventures promoting genetic manipulation, surrogacy, the trade in human organs or the possibility of arranging one’s own death. Let us not forget that mutual respect and the protection of every human life is a duty incumbent upon each and every one of us. It is a duty that begins with the conversion of our minds and hearts, and requires a sincere and selfless commitment to the good of our brothers and sisters.

How can we fail to see such a commitment as an expression of the authentic “secularity” ( laïcité ) of the earthly city? A Christian engaged in public service and is guided by the light of his or her conscience illumined by faith, cannot be considered a proselytizer or a threat to the unity of the nation. Indeed, authentic secularity does not exclude religion but is capable of valuing it as an educational resource (cf. Address to Participants in the National Meeting of Catholic Religion Teachers, 25 April 2026).

That is precisely why Catholic schools have a rightful place in the educational landscape of a country like France. This is part of a broader issue essential to any dialogue, in schools and in society as a whole: learning to know and love ourselves, in order to be able to encounter others with respect and openness (cf. ibid. ).

An authentic secularity, then, consists not in excluding religion from the public sphere or from education, but in striving to ensure that the State and religious institutions maintain dialogue and join forces in the service of the common good, that the world may have life. In this regard, I express my appreciation for the work being carried out within the framework of the Dialogue Forum between the Holy See, the Catholic Church in France, and the French Government. The contribution of the Catholic Church, through its network of activities and institutions, is surely praiseworthy and beneficial to society as a whole. Such forms of cooperation are a good illustration of the healthy complementarity described by the Second Vatican Council, inasmuch as the political community and the Church “are both at the service of the personal and social vocation of the same individuals, though under different titles. Their service will be more efficient and beneficial to all if both institutions develop better cooperation” (SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 76).

I am also pleased to note that this same desire to assist all individuals, regardless of their origin, has for centuries inspired the cooperation existing between France and the Catholic Church in assisting the Christians of the Middle East. The educational, social, cultural and humanitarian work carried out in those countries, in collaboration with various organizations such as Aid to the Church in Need and L’Œuvre d’Orient, is a valuable contribution to dialogue among peoples and to the promotion of the rights of every person.

In this, we see an eloquent testimony of how culture and faith serve as pillars supporting efforts to foster harmony between different peoples and religions in the service of peace and in mediating between individuals and communities. Education is especially critical in this regard and is one of the principal areas of cooperation, finding concrete and fruitful expression, in particular, through the Fonds pour les écoles d’Orient. Here I would like to express my gratitude to all those involved in this project which, since its establishment in 2021, has made it possible to provide support to more than two hundred and sixty educational institutions in the Middle East, including seven universities in Lebanon and the University of Bethlehem.

How can we speak of this part of the world — where the Prince of Peace was born two thousand years ago — without also thinking of all those men, women and children who suffer from the effects of conflict and the scourge of war? We cannot remain indifferent in the face of their pain, which offends human dignity and cries out to God for justice. The gravity of these situations must challenge us and ought to summon each of us, wherever we find ourselves, to a genuine conversion of heart and a change of attitude. By humbly acknowledging our need for one another, we will be able to work together more effectively to build a civilization of love in the heart of our world, which has become so much more complex and interdependent (cf. Encyclical Letter Magnifica Humanitas, 182). At the same time, as my predecessor Saint John XXIII pointed out in his day, “justice, right reason and the recognition of human dignity cry out insistently for an end to the arms race. The stockpiles of armaments built up in various countries must be reduced all round and simultaneously by the parties concerned. Nuclear weapons must be banned. A general agreement must be reached on a suitable disarmament program, with an effective system of mutual control” (Encyclical Letter Pacem in Terris, 112). Indeed, the mistaken belief that the possession of nuclear weapons is a guarantee of security is spreading and fueling a new arms race that is difficult to control (cf. Magnifica Humanitas, 194). Peace is not a balance of power; rather, it is built day by day through dialogue and justice.

I urge you, then, never to grow resigned to the prospect of war or to consider it “inevitable,” but instead to persevere in the promotion of dialogue and diplomacy, in order to preserve peaceful societies that respect the dignity and rights of individuals and peoples. In the face of rumors of war and the varied crises troubling our world, France is called to remain a tireless champion of peace and multilateralism, particularly within our beloved Europe. May France, faithful to its traditional values, work for a peace that is unarmed and disarming, and responsibly offer its unique contribution to that goal. May your liberty grow in constant concern for the common good. May your fraternity embrace the entire human family. And may the equality to which you aspire always be built upon the foundations of justice and charity — not by erasing the differences between people, but by allowing them to flourish harmoniously for the benefit of society as a whole.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I would like once again to thank you for this meeting. Indeed, to echo the words spoken by Your Excellency to the Bishops of France in 2018, it serves to show how “a Church that claims to be uninterested in temporal matters would not be fulfilling her vocation; and that a President of the Republic who claims to be uninterested in the Church and in Catholics would be failing in his duty.” [3] Be assured of my fervent prayers for your great nation.

May God grant it peace, unity, and prosperity, that the world may have life. I entrust these hopes to the maternal intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the principal patroness of France.

May God bless France and all the French people!