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Pope Leo XIV Warns of AI Risks During High-Profile French Visit
By Drooid · · How we work
Pope Leo XIV’s AI Warning During the France Trip
The remark was made during talks with President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace and echoes a May appeal in which the pontiff called for AI to be “disarmed” and likened its unchecked spread to a new form of slavery. Vatican officials said the warning is a central theme of the Pope’s current teaching document.
Context of the Papal Trip and French Secularism
The visit follows a tradition of papal trips to France, a nation whose relationship with the Catholic Church has shifted dramatically since the 14th-century Avignon papacy. Today, less than half of the French population identifies as Catholic, and regular worship attendance has fallen from 35 % in 1960 to under 5 % now. Nonetheless, recent data show adult baptisms rising to 10 000 in 2025, suggesting renewed interest in religious tradition. French secularism, or “laïcité,” has historically limited religious symbols in public life, a backdrop against which the Pope emphasized that “authentic secularity” should not exclude religion from the public sphere or education.
Official Statements from the Vatican and French Leaders
President Macron described the papal visit as a “great honour” and affirmed that French secularism “in no way negates religion.” Vatican spokespeople reiterated the Pope’s call for societies to retain human dignity while embracing technological progress. Élysée officials clarified that a proposed meeting with Notre-Dame artisans was declined by the Pope because his agenda was “too tight,” and that a ceremonial cavalry escort offered to the Pope was a customary honor, not an expectation he would accept.
Verbatim Quotes
- “France has indeed secularised, but there is a void where God and values used to be,” — Cardinal François Bustillo, Bishop of Ajaccio
Upcoming Events in the Visit
After the AI-focused remarks, the Pope will travel by Popemobile to Notre-Dame, address 80 000 youth at the Stade de France, and later meet migrants in Paris. He will conclude the tour with a Mass in Lourdes attended by 150 000 people and a tribute to EU founder Robert Schuman in Metz.