On 25 September 2026, the plane of Pope Leo XIV landed at Paris's Orly Airport. He was met by President Emmanuel Macron, and church bells rang across France for seven minutes. That same day, the pontiff went to the Élysée Palace for a meeting with the head of state, and then to UNESCO headquarters, where for the first time in more than 40 years he delivered a speech on artificial intelligence, youth, peace, and interreligious dialogue.
The visit — the first full-fledged apostolic visit to France under Macron — takes place against the backdrop of growing fears about AI. Leo XIV, the first American pope in history, has made this topic central since the third day of his pontificate. In May he issued the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, calling for global rules to regulate technology. At a meeting with the Pontifical Academy of Sciences the day before arriving in France, he again warned of the threats of cyberweapons, autonomous systems, and enormous resource consumption. At UNESCO he is building on the organization's 2021 recommendation on the ethics of AI, already used by more than 70 countries.
The public image of Leo XIV is that of a voice placing human dignity above technological progress. His documented position confirms this consistency: he has criticized AI for disinformation, manipulation, and the risk of "apocalypse," while emphasizing its potential for good under strict control. Unlike his predecessors, he does not limit himself to general appeals but demands international norms, citing real risks to peace and the environment.
The meeting with Macron and the speech at UNESCO allow the pontiff both to strengthen the Church's position after the abuse scandals and to position the Holy See as a moral arbiter in an era of technological shifts. France, striving for sovereignty in AI and independence from the United States and China, finds in the pope an ally on questions of ethics and multilateralism. This is not merely a diplomatic visit — it is a confirmation of a strategy in which the Church reclaims a role in global debates that were once considered the prerogative of states and corporations.
Like an old lighthouse illuminating dangerous reefs for new ships, Leo XIV uses the UNESCO platform to remind us: technology must serve humanity, not the other way around. In a world where AI already affects conflicts and data, his voice is becoming one of the few capable of uniting ethics and politics without being tied to national interests.
