Leo XIV received an exceptional welcome in France.
And his speeches caused quite a stir.
The one in Metz, centred on the work of Robert Schuman, struck a chord with its commitment to European unification.
Quoting entire passages from the declaration of 9 May 1950 and the European treaties, the Pope set Europe the task of embodying the universal values that stem from the primacy of the human person.
The power of his message of peace in a troubled world ravaged by war derived first and foremost from its author, a leading authority whose sole aim was to be moral.
There was no need to look for an ‘ulterior motive’ in it, at a time when public discourse is increasingly discredited by the quest for hidden agendas.
The content of his message, delivered in a gentle but firm tone, without polemic, drew on history, yet addressed the present and looked to the future.
He offered reassurance to Europe and assigned it a role: to strive, through the rule of law, dialogue and exemplary leadership, for a just and united world.
By celebrating Robert Schuman’s contribution, Leo XIV’s speech also inspired the courage to be fully European; it was political in the noblest sense of the word.
Emmanuel Macron, who was hosting the Pope, thus saw his commitment to Europe upheld, as did all those who work towards it despite the vicissitudes of public life.
Throughout his tour of France, Léon XIV articulated some very timely truths (“how great is the evil committed by man when he believes he faces no obstacle to the exercise of his power”).
And despite a cold lucidity (“today, relations between people and between states are becoming increasingly barbaric”), he delivered a message of hope that ought to resonate more strongly in the public sphere, at a time when so many doubt what they have achieved: a community of sovereign nations, united in peace around a shared understanding of the human person
