The political truce in France for Leo XIV, with a few cracks

Pope Leo XIV’s visit left its mark on France: the events drew more than a million people, making a significant impact. The French Church, characterised by at times contradictory dynamics – ranging from the growth of new converts in a multicultural context to the strength of traditional Catholics – rallied around the Pope with a sense of shared purpose and unity. The lengthy visit addressed fundamental and sensitive issues, ranging from end-of-life care to sexual abuse within the Church, via interfaith dialogue. Pope Leo has, in a sense, helped to bring to the fore the efforts aimed at adapting the Church to today’s society. All this has been achieved without compromising the fundamental principles already articulated by previous pontiffs, as symbolised, for example, by the visit to the Maison Bakhita in Paris, a support centre for migrants and the marginalised.

This visit therefore takes on particular significance in today’s France, a country often riven by tensions. The Church’s demonstration of unity also appears as a moment of cohesion for the country as a whole, a dimension reinforced by the appeal that emerged from the interfaith meeting in Metz. The spirituality and sense of shared purpose that were palpable during the Mass in Place de la Concorde in Paris and on the lawn of the sanctuary at Lourdes illustrate a France that is far more peaceful than is usually portrayed. This raises questions about the potential consequences for political life in general, and more specifically for the presidential campaign. The long weekend marking Pope Leo’s visit was also characterised by a kind of political truce, giving the impression of a pause for reflection amidst the usual deluge of political skirmishes. The Mass in Paris was attended by the main centre and right-wing presidential candidates: Frédéric Attal, Édouard Philippe, Bruno Retailleau, Marine Le Pen and Éric Zemmour, not to mention numerous prominent figures such as Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, Nicolas Sarkozy, François Fillon and Dominique de Villepin. Emmanuel Macron, for his part, attended the Mass in Metz. The absence of left-wing leaders, moreover, highlights the significance of secular culture, a long-standing feature in a country that has long been divided on religious issues.

The Pope’s visit sought to combine an appeal to the nation’s Christian heritage – emphasising the figures of French saints during the evening event with young people in Saint-Denis – with a defence of a European Union open to universality, understood as a means of overcoming clashes between national or religious identities. The perspective is therefore clearly pro-European, with an emphasis also on the value of European institutions – a message that may appear to mark a dividing line between the traditional right and the Rassemblement National, which has always pursued a nationalist line. Immediately, Vincent Bolloré’s media outlets—at the heart of an ultra-conservative project—sought to sidestep the reference to a universalist pro-European stance, which clashes with their own Eurosceptic political narrative. Yet the Pope’s words are crystal clear, and even this social and political faction will be unable to ignore the positive mark the Pontiff has made not only on Europe but also on the institutional path of the European Union. This form of cognitive dissonance may not lead them to change their vote in the presidential election, but it could bring about a shift in the way they view Europe – a vision the Pope has reaffirmed as indispensable for Catholics, whether in France or elsewhere.