The Pope to Macron: “True secularism does not exclude the religious dimension”

Rome. “At times, I observe with concern the current trends within society that risk distorting science and technology, transforming them into profit-driven enterprises that promote genetic manipulation, surrogacy, the purchase of organs or the provision of assisted dying. Let us not forget that mutual respect and the protection of every human life are the responsibility of each and every one of us, a responsibility that begins with a conversion of the intellect and the heart and requires a genuine and selfless commitment towards our brothers and sisters. How can we fail to see in such a commitment an expression of the proper secularism of the earthly city? A Christian involved in public life, who acts in the light of his or her conscience illuminated by faith, cannot be regarded as a proselytiser or a threat to national unity. Indeed, true secularism does not exclude the religious dimension; on the contrary, it knows how to draw on it as an educational resource’. Thus began Pope Leo XIV’s journey to France. Far from adopting a soft tone in the presence of President Macron and the diplomatic corps, with the civil authorities lined up before them. The Pontiff gets straight to the point and speaks of the quintessential French tenet, secularism: “True secularism does not, therefore, consist in excluding religion from the public sphere or from education, but in striving to ensure that the State and religious institutions engage in dialogue with one another and join forces in the service of the common good, so that the world may have life”. Indeed, he adds shortly afterwards, “the tireless work of the Catholic Church, through the richness of its expressions and institutions, is certainly valuable and commendable for the well-being of society as a whole”.

The Pope recalled France’s “rich Christian roots”, emphasising that “the soul of your homeland has developed by drawing from Christianity a spiritual, cultural, intellectual, artistic and missionary genius that today shines throughout the world”. He mentioned humanism “which sought to unify the Greco-Roman heritage and the Christian faith”, the Enlightenment and its achievements, “in particular religious freedom”. He then cited the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which “aimed to create a general awareness of the inalienable dignity of the human person”. He quoted Georges Bernanos, who “saw the risk of blind obedience and irresponsibility taking hold in a ‘Paradise of Machines’”, that is to say, artificial intelligence.

But Leone also spoke of peace and war: “I urge you never to resign yourselves to the prospect of war by regarding it as ‘inevitable’, but to promote dialogue and diplomacy tirelessly, in order to preserve peaceful societies that respect the dignity and rights of individuals and peoples. Faced with the rumblings of war and the multifaceted crises shaking our world, France has a calling to remain a tireless architect of peace and multilateralism, particularly within our beloved Europe. May France, true to its values, chart a course towards a peace that is both unarmed and disarming, and responsibly offer its irreplaceable contribution to the cause of peace. May your freedom grow ceaselessly through your commitment to the common good; may your fraternity embrace the whole of humanity; and may the equality to which you aspire always be founded on the principles of justice and charity, without eliminating differences between people, but allowing them to bear fruit harmoniously for the benefit of society as a whole.”

This afternoon, the Pope will visit UNESCO headquarters, then at 5:15 p.m. he will celebrate Vespers at Notre-Dame Cathedral. This evening, at the Saint-Denis stadium, there will be a vigil with young people.