Pope Leo XIV arrived in Paris on Friday for his first official pilgrimage to France in eighteen years, using the occasion to sound a stark warning about the unchecked advance of artificial intelligence. Speaking at the Élysée Palace and later at UNESCO headquarters, the pontiff urged societies to cultivate ethical discernment so that technology remains a servant of humanity rather than a tool of domination. His three‑day itinerary also touches on European peace, the lingering trauma of clerical abuse, and a call for France to remain a steadfast champion of global harmony.
A Warning on Artificial Intelligence
At the Élysée, Pope Leo told his audience that humanity risks losing its essence amid what he described as a “paradise of machines” that increasingly invades and conditions daily life. He stressed the urgent need for people to be educated in ethical discernment, capable of recognising what is morally right.
Later, addressing a gathering at UNESCO, he expanded on the theme: “Every science risks losing its proper meaning when pursued without ethics,” he said. “Certain artificial systems have even been given the name of our human faculty of thought: intelligence. At the same time, however, our ideas and relationships risk being impoverished by a process of dehumanisation.”
He added a pointed observation about the dignity of workers in an automated age: “While intelligence is attributed to computational systems, we struggle to recognise the inalienable dignity of human persons whose lives are judged according to the criterion of efficiency and when deemed no longer productive, rejected and discarded.”
The Papal Visit Amid Domestic Politics
The timing of the visit is notable. Pope Leo’s trip comes as President Emmanuel Macron’s decade in office draws to a close ahead of next spring’s presidential election, in which far‑right figure Marine Le Pen is polling strongly. The pope noted that his predecessor, Pope Francis, never made a full state visit to France during his twelve‑year pontificate and declined to attend the 2024 inauguration of the rebuilt Notre‑Dame Cathedral.
During his stay, Leo also commented on France’s recent assisted‑dying legislation, passed in June, which grants some adult patients the right to end their lives. He expressed concern that such laws risk turning science and technology into profit‑driven ventures that promote genetic manipulation, surrogacy, the trade in human organs, or the arrangement of one’s own death.
Addressing War and Peace
A central thread of the pope’s message was a plea for vigilance against the normalisation of war. He warned the world not to become indifferent to the pain caused by “the scourge of war”. Speaking directly to President Macron and other French leaders, he said: “I urge you ‘… never to grow resigned to the prospect of war or to consider it ‘inevitable’.”
Leo recalled his own assessment from last April, when he described the world as “being ravaged by a handful of tyrants”. He will continue his peace‑focused programme on Monday with a speech on European peace in the eastern city of Metz, amid the ongoing fifth year of Russia’s full‑scale invasion of Ukraine.
Confronting the Church’s Abuse Crisis
The pilgrimage includes a private meeting in Lourdes with seven survivors of clerical sexual abuse. Although some survivor groups had urged a broader consultation, the Vatican explained that the pope sought in‑depth dialogue with individuals.
France’s Catholic bishops’ conference has agreed to provide compensation following a 2021 report that estimated 330,000 children were sexually abused over seventy years by priests or other church‑related figures. The report characterised the cover‑up as systemic. Recent allegations have also surfaced concerning staff at the elite Catholic boarding school Notre‑Dame de Bétharram, near Lourdes.
On his flight to Paris, the pontiff welcomed media coverage, responding to the Trump administration’s attempt to bar US journalists from the White House. Asked by a CNN reporter about that move, Leo replied: “I am very happy that here, you are all welcome.”
Why it Matters
Pope Leo XIV’s visit crystallises a growing unease about the moral trajectory of technological progress, the fragility of democratic norms, and the enduring wounds within the Catholic Church. By linking AI ethics to broader concerns about justice, war, and institutional accountability, the pope offers a framework that could shape policy debates across Europe and beyond. His call for education in ethical discernment, coupled with a direct appeal to political leaders to resist the commodification of justice, may inspire legislators and citizens alike to re‑examine how societies balance innovation with the protection of human dignity. In an era marked by rapid change, the pope’s insistence that technology remain at the service of the person serves as both a caution and a compass for the future.