Macron Starts Two-Day Vatican Trip for First Audience With Pope Léon XIV

Overview

• Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron travel to Rome on Thursday for talks with Andrea Riccardi of Sant’Egidio, then meet Pope Léon XIV at the Apostolic Palace during a Friday 10 a.m. audience.
• The Élysée says talks will focus on the war in the Middle East, peace efforts through multilateral action, rules for artificial intelligence, climate policy, humanitarian needs, and France’s end‑of‑life debate.
• The delegation includes Jean‑Marc Sauvé, who led France’s 2021 Church abuse inquiry, signaling that accountability for sexual violence in the Church is a priority topic.
• Algerian outlets report Macron may raise the case of jailed French journalist Christophe Gleizes, a possibility the Élysée does not confirm while noting a one‑on‑one setting for sensitive messages.
• This is Macron’s first in‑person meeting with Léon XIV after a May 2025 call, following three Vatican audiences with Pope Francis, in what the presidency calls a republican and laic visit without Italian government meetings.