Pope Leo Urges Diplomacy and Nuclear Disarmament During Visit to France

During his visit to France, Pope Leo XIV urged leaders not to accept war as inevitable and called for dialogue and diplomacy in response to suffering in the Middle East, including conflicts involving Iran and Lebanon. He called for nuclear weapons to be banned and stockpiles reduced, warning that treating them as a guarantee of security fuels an arms race; his appeal contrasts with French President Emmanuel Macron’s pledge to expand France’s nuclear arsenal. Leo also warned that artificial intelligence and other technologies require ethical oversight to protect human dignity and human responsibility.
Leo thanked France for working with the Holy See to support more than 260 educational institutions in the Middle East, including institutions in Bethlehem and Lebanon.
The pope urged France to remain “a tireless champion of peace and multilateralism,” particularly in Europe.
Leo called for an international disarmament agreement and said arms stockpiles should be reduced simultaneously by the countries concerned.
The trip is the first apostolic visit by a pope to France since 2008.
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