Leo urges Europe to pursue peace through dialogue and integration
Concluding his four-day visit to France in Metz, Pope Leo XIV called for reconciliation, compromise and a stronger commitment to European unity. Emmanuel Macron warned against resurgent nationalism.
Pope Leo XIV used the final day of his four-day visit to France to urge Europe to make peace, dialogue and unity practical priorities. Speaking in Metz on Monday, he called on European leaders to give substance to freedom, democracy and unity, and to integrate migrants as members of society.
Leo said relations between individuals and states were becoming “increasingly uncivilised”, and urged Europe to help break that pattern through respect for others. He said dialogue was a social and political necessity and invoked Europe’s Christian history as part of the continent’s heritage.
At a Mass at Saint-Etienne Cathedral, attended by French President Emmanuel Macron, Leo said reconciliation required the courage to break “the chains of resentment”. He pointed to the cathedral’s stained glass, including work by Jewish artist Marc Chagall, as a symbol of dialogue between different histories and cultures.
Leo said negotiators seeking to end the war in Europe needed to be willing to give up some of their positions to achieve peace. He described the conflict as claiming civilian lives every day. The France 24 report did not specify which negotiators or positions he meant.
In remarks alongside the pope, Macron called on Europe to recover the courage of its founders and resist nationalism. He described Europe as a civilisation built on Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian foundations.
Leo left France for Rome after a farewell ceremony at Nancy-Metz-Lorraine airport.
