Live: ‘One cannot speak of Europe without mentioning Christianity,’ Pope Leo says in Metz
Pope urges Europe to help battle ‘lies and deceit’ in international ties
Pope Leo warned that relations between nations were becoming «increasingly uncivilised» with people boasting of «lies and deceit», and urged Europe to help «break this cycle».
«Relations between individuals and states are becoming increasingly uncivilised. The value of keeping one’s word is dismissed. Instead, people boast of lies and deceit,» he said. «Europe can help to break this cycle through the respect for others that it has learned to cultivate and preserve.»
Pope Leo urges negotiations as Ukraine war drags on
Pope Leo said that negotiators seeking to end war in Europe must be willing to sacrifice some of their positions to achieve peace, as efforts to end the bloody, four-year conflict between Russia and Ukraine continue to fail.
The first US pope, speaking in Metz, a city central to the European Union founding, lamented that «war has returned, even to Europe: a new senseless slaughter, claiming countless civilian lives every day».
Offering his clearest political vision yet for Europe, Leo also spoke in favour of European integration and multiculturalism at a time the far right is gaining strength across the region.
The pontiff called on Europe to integrate migrants «as if they were part of one’s own family».
Pope urges Europe to remember Christian history, strengthen democratic ideals
Pope Leo urged Europe to remember its Christian history in a speech delivered in Metz, the hometown of Robert Schuman, a founding father of the European Union, during his four-day visit to France.
«One cannot speak of Europe without mentioning Christianity,» he said.
The pontiff praised European integration and multiculturalism, adding that dialogue with others was a «social and political necessity» and urging EU leaders to give «real substance» to words such as freedom, democracy and unity.
«Europe has flourished and progressed when it has been able to draw on the best aspects of its past and reinvent them in new and creative ways through encounters with others,» the pope said.
President of the Conference of Bishops of France Cardinal Jean-Marc Avelines speaks
Macron says Europe must find ‘courage’ to stand up to renewed nationalism
France’s President Emmanuel Macron said Europe should return to the «courage of its founders» to become a force for peace in the face of resurgent nationalism.
Europe «must rediscover the courage of its founders – yes, courage – in order to become the force for peace, independence, and democracy that it is meant to be,» he said in the presence of Pope Leo XIV in the northeastern city of Metz near the German border.
«The courage not to give in to withdrawal, to hatred of others, to the return of nationalisms that divide,» he said.
🎥 Pope to speak on European unity on last day of France visit
Pope Leo XIV arrived in Metz to speak on the future of Europe on the final day of his visit to France.
Metz, a northeastern city that repeatedly changed hands between France and Germany in past conflicts, is closely associated with Robert Schuman, considered one of the founding fathers of the European Union, who is buried just outside Metz.
FRANCE 24’s Luke Shrago in Metz and Douglas Herbert in the studio take a look at what’s on the agenda.
Pope Leo XIV rejects all violence in the name of religion
Pope Leo XIV stated that “religious discourse” must help “disarm hearts and words” during a meeting with representatives of various religions in Metz.
“Invoking the name of God to legitimize violence or oppression is a desecration of that name. Nothing that distorts human dignity can claim to be authentically inspired by God,” the pope said.
“Religious discourse must constantly call for the disarmament of hearts and words. This is the direct responsibility of each of us, as guardians of our respective traditions,” continued Léon XIV. He spoke after the reading of the “Metz Appeal,” a joint declaration by representatives of religious communities in France calling for interreligious dialogue and peace.
🎥 Leo building on Francis’s legacy while reincorporating ‘more traditional elements of papal activity’
FRANCE 24’s Erin Ogunkeye speaks with Miles Pattenden, historian of the Catholic Church at the University of Oxford.
For Pattenden, Pope Leo XIV’s visit to France is part of a broader recalibration of the papacy. While Pope Francis placed particular emphasis on the Catholic Church’s peripheries and the needs of the Global South, Leo is subtly bringing the Church’s historic European heartlands back into focus.
France is especially significant in this regard, given its deep historical relationship with Catholicism and its evolving relationship with Christianity, European identity, secularism and contemporary geopolitical debates.
Leon XIV arrives in Metz, the third and final stop of his France visit
Pope Leo XIV has arrived in Metz, the third and final stop on his visit to France, where he is scheduled to speak on peace and Europe.
The American pope, who is to be welcomed by Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, is expected at the Robert Schuman Convention Center, where he will deliver a speech at 11:00am in the presence of President Emmanuel Macron, followed by a Mass this afternoon at Saint-Étienne Cathedral.
Pope Leo XIV disembarks upon arrival at the Metz-Nancy-Lorraine Airport in Metz on September 28, 2026 on the last day of his visit to France. © Romeo Boetzle, AFP
The Pope in the cockpit of the plane between Lourdes and Metz
Pope Leo XIV spent half an hour in the cockpit of the plane that flew him from Lourdes to Metz on Monday morning, Air France told AFP.
Pope Leo XIV speaks with the pilots on his flight to Metz from Lourdes, on the last day of his four-day visit to France on September 28, 2026. © Simone Risoluti, Vatican Media via Reuters
Macron will attend the pope’s Mass in Metz
French President Emmanuel Macron will attend the Mass celebrated by Pope Leo XIV in Metz and will participate in the ceremony marking the pontiff’s departure from France, the Élysée Palace announced.
“The President of the Republic will attend the farewell ceremony for His Holiness Pope Leo XIV as he departs French territory,” the French presidency said. “To that end, he has rearranged his schedule to also attend the preceding Mass at Saint-Étienne Cathedral in Metz,” it added.
The Pope’s program in Metz today
Here are the highlights of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Metz on Monday, the fourth and final day of his trip to France.
9:20am – Arrival at Metz-Nancy-Lorraine Airport after taking off from Lourdes at 7:40am
10:00am – Interfaith meeting at the Robert Schuman Convention Center
11:00am – Speech titled “At the roots of Europe for peace and unity” in the auditorium of the Robert Schuman Convention Center.
2:30pm – Procession in the popemobile to the cathedral
4:00pm – Mass at Saint-Étienne Cathedral
7:00pm – Departure for Rome from Metz-Nancy-Lorraine Airport
Good morning!
Welcome to our liveblog on Pope Leo XIV’s visit to France.
Today the pope is visiting the northeastern city of Metz. For a look back on his visit to the pilgrimage town of Lourdes, read our coverage below:
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