Pope Leo arrived in in France on Friday for a whirlwind four-day visit, saying he wished to be a pilgrim of peace for a world at war.
The Pope is also set to renew calls for global rules on the development of artificial intelligence, while laying out a vision for Europe's future during his visit, which includes stops in Paris, at the famed Catholic shrine at Lourdes in the south-west, and in Metz on the German border.
Saying on the plane to Paris that he was coming to convey a message of peace, Pope Leo added: “It is a message that at this time, as we all may know, is particularly important.”
About 600,000 people have registered to join an outdoor mass in central Paris with the Pope on Saturday, with throngs expected to stretch down the famed Avenue des Champs-Elysees. About 37,000 security forces will be deployed to secure the events, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on French broadcaster TF1.
Leading Pope Leo's agenda on Friday are speeches to President Emmanuel Macron and other French leaders at Elysee Palace and to staff at the headquarters of the UN culture and education body, Unesco, which is facing budget shortfalls after US President Donald Trump withdrew from the agency in 2025.
The first US pope attracted Mr Trump's ire earlier this year after criticising the Iran war.
Pope Leo, who has made the risks spurred by AI a major concern of his papacy and has called on world leaders for global rules to oversee the industry, is expected to address the issue at Unesco.
In a speech at the Vatican on Thursday, the Pope said AI could benefit humanity, but has introduced “new dangers to security and international peace”. He urged global leaders to “govern wisely” in overseeing the technology.
Pope Leo's visit comes as Catholic leaders in France have been at odds with the government over the enshrinement in 2024 of a right to abortion in the French constitution, a world first, and the passage of a law earlier this year legalising assisted dying for adults with incurable illnesses.
The Catholic Church teaches that all human life is sacred and opposes abortion, assisted dying and capital punishment.
The Pope will also lead a prayer service in Paris on Friday at the restored Notre-Dame Cathedral, in the first visit by a pope since a devastating fire nearly destroyed the Gothic masterpiece in 2019.
Leo is the first pope to make an official visit to France in nearly 20 years. His French tour will culminate in Metz on Sunday with a speech on “the roots of Europe for peace and unity”.
Mr Macron has invited leaders from all 27 EU member states to attend, but it is unclear who will come.
