Pope Leo Opens First Papal State Visit to France in 18 Years, Warning of a 'Paradise of Machines'
Speaking at the Élysée Palace and UNESCO, the American pope called nuclear deterrence "mistaken" and urged AI developers and regulators to slow down as more than a million people prepared to see him.
PARIS — Pope Leo XIV opened a four-day visit to France on Friday by asking what it means to be human in an age of artificial intelligence, warning political leaders and diplomats that a "paradise of machines" risks undermining humanity itself.
Church bells tolled across the country when the pope's charter flight touched down at Paris' Orly airport, where President Emmanuel Macron met him on the tarmac. It is the first official state visit by a pope to France in 18 years, and organizers expect more than a million people to turn out over the four days. Crowds lined the streets of the capital as Leo's motorcade passed on its way to the Élysée Palace.
In his opening speech to Macron and French officials, and later to diplomats and United Nations staff at UNESCO headquarters, Leo tied together his central themes: the dignity of human life, the dangers of unchecked technology and the risk of a new nuclear arms race. He reaffirmed the Vatican's opposition to nuclear weapons and called the doctrine of nuclear deterrence "mistaken," arguing it only fuels more weapons-building. "Peace is not a balance of power; rather, it is built day by day through dialogue and justice," he said.
On artificial intelligence, the first American pope was blunt. "The paradox has become increasingly evident: while 'intelligence' is attributed to computational systems, we struggle to recognize the inalienable dignity of human persons, whose lives are judged according to the criterion of efficiency and, when deemed no longer productive, are rejected and discarded," he said. "If we are to avoid losing our humanity amid a 'paradise of machines' invading and conditioning our daily lives, there is an urgent need for education in ethical discernment and the capacity to acknowledge the moral good." Leo has made AI a signature issue of his pontificate, devoting his first encyclical, "Magnificent Humanity," to the subject and calling for strong regulation.
Speaking to reporters on the flight from Rome, Leo said he was encouraged that tech companies had engaged with the Vatican. "Many of them, they're very much open to looking for ways of making sure that AI does not displace or ultimately destroy humanity, but rather than be a tool for human beings," he said. "Good things are beginning at least." Asked on the same flight about the White House's fight with news organizations over press access, a day after a federal court ordered CNN, MS NOW and Politico's workspaces restored, Leo did not mention President Trump by name but said, "Good coverage, I think, is very important." The Chicago-raised pontiff also smiled when asked whether he had anything to do with the White Sox reaching the playoffs. "No comment," he said. "Great things happen in Chicago."
The visit is a political moment for Macron, who is barred from seeking a third term in next May's election and whose approval ratings sit near record lows amid anger over living costs and France's deficit. Pope Francis repeatedly declined to make a formal state visit to France during his 12-year pontificate. "For a president of the republic as Macron, who is at the end of his mandate, it can be important to be aside the pope and to capture a part of his popularity," said Charles Mercier, a historian of Catholicism at the EPHE university in Paris. Macron called the visit "a source of hope" for many French people.
Leo is also stepping into a country that enshrined the right to abortion in its constitution in 2024 and where lawmakers recently gave final approval to a law allowing adults with incurable illnesses to receive lethal medication. The French Catholic hierarchy opposed both measures. In his Élysée speech, Leo reminded France of its "deep Christian roots" and called the right to life the "indispensable foundation of every other human right," though the Vatican's editorial director, Andrea Tornielli, wrote that the pope had not come "to condemn anyone."
Security was set at Olympic levels. Paris police planned 14,000 police officers, gendarmes and soldiers plus 2,500 firefighters for Friday alone, with mounted units, bomb-disposal teams and anti-drone systems. Leo was scheduled to celebrate vespers at the rebuilt Notre-Dame cathedral and lead a youth vigil at a Paris stadium Friday night, then say Mass at the Place de la Concorde on Saturday before traveling to the shrine at Lourdes and the northeastern city of Metz.
