French politician and Le Havre mayor
Pope Leo XIV has opened a four-day visit to France focused on defending the value of human life and meeting abuse survivors. The trip has prompted protests and fresh criticism: survivors and campaigners say the church has not provided timely justice and want transparent trials, while French reparations bodies have awarded hundreds of victims compensation.
Pope Leo XIV has completed the second day of a four‑day visit to France, drawing hundreds of thousands to an outdoor Mass on the Champs‑Élysées and meeting pilgrims in Lourdes. He has met President Emmanuel Macron, warned about AI and is scheduled to meet abuse survivors in Lourdes and migrants in Paris.
Protests demanding higher teacher pay and cost-of-living relief have intensified economic strain in France. Markets are reacting to a fragile fiscal outlook, with debt costs rising and political uncertainty shaping investor confidence ahead of a presidential race.