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Pope Leo arrives in Paris tomorrow for the first official state visit by a pope to France since 2008. The traditionally Catholic and fervently secular nation is awaiting his arrival with great anticipation. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports.
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ELEANOR BEARDSLEY, BYLINE: Parishioners stream out of vespers this week at the Church of St. Christophe de Javel in Paris. Everyone is excited about the pope, says Laure Badsa.
LAURE BADSA: It's very important to have him in this political environment. He has a role to play in France and in the world.
BEARDSLEY: He's an American pope, so we are waiting to see his geopolitical stance, she says. Maybe it's a divine signal that we have an American pope at this time.
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BEARDSLEY: France is a pillar of Catholicism and is often referred to as the eldest daughter of the Roman Catholic Church. It's also a staunchly secular nation with strict separation of church and state since 1905. This pope appeals to both. More than half a million people are expected to turn out for his Mass on Saturday at the Place de la Concorde, a symbol of the secular French Revolution.
MARCO POLITI: In this age, he's very much appreciated by the secular society. And also, he's not only a religious personality but also a beacon of rationality.
BEARDSLEY: That's Rome-based Vatican analyst Marco Politi, who's followed six popes. Pope Leo stood up to President Trump in April when Trump first threatened to annihilate Iran's civilization.
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POPE LEO XIV: Asking all people of goodwill to search always for peace and not violence, to reject war, especially a war which many people have said is an unjust war.
BEARDSLEY: That's when the pope gained an international stature, says Jean-Marie Guenois, who heads Vatican coverage for French newspaper Le Figaro.
JEAN-MARIE GUENOIS: He became a real international pope at this moment. It's a kind of a force tranquille, we say it in French. Very quiet force.
BEARDSLEY: This quiet force is needed at a time of great tension between traditionalists and reformers in the church, says Politi. He says Leo was elected by cardinals from the Global South to continue the reforms of Pope Francis, his predecessor.
POLITI: The choice was made of a cardinal who was coming from the United States, let's say from the center of the Western empire, but in the same time, a man who had the Peruvian citizenship, who had lived in a poor diocese.
BEARDSLEY: After Paris, where the pope is expected to deliver a speech on AI at UNESCO, he will visit the pilgrimage site at Lourdes. He will also meet with victims of sexual abuse. And Monday in the eastern city of Metz, near the German border, European leaders are expected to attend the pope's speech on European unity. While Francis said Europe had grown old and was no longer vibrant, Leo will bring a different message, says Politi.
POLITI: To encourage Europe to play an active role in bringing peace in Ukraine, to bringing peace in Middle East.
BEARDSLEY: He says Pope Leo, as an American, is democratically oriented and believes strongly in transatlantic values and the role of Europe in restoring the world order. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Paris. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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