Leo calls for peace and human dignity in UNESCO address
Speaking in Paris on the first day of his visit to France, Pope Leo XIV urged support for multilateralism and said science must be guided by wisdom and the common good.
Pope Leo XIV used an address at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on Friday to call for peace, human dignity and international cooperation, as he began a four-day visit to France.
Citing UNESCO’s founding texts, Leo said treaties required a culture of peace and a shared commitment to sustain them. He warned that scientific progress detached from wisdom could become destructive, while culture and education could be distorted by ideology and falsehood.
Leo urged France to remain a “tireless champion of peace and multilateralism”, pointing to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and other crises troubling the world.
On secularism, he said the state and religious institutions should be able to maintain dialogue and work together for the common good. He argued that an authentic secularism should not exclude religion from public life or education.
The pope also criticised trends that could turn science and technology into profit-driven ventures, naming genetic manipulation, surrogacy and the trade in human organs. His address did not set out a specific proposal for regulating artificial intelligence.
Leo praised UNESCO as a place for humanity to reflect on its history and future. France 24 reported that the agency faced budget shortfalls after the United States withdrew its funding.
