Metz, France: Pope Leo shares his vision for Europe on final day of landmark France visit

Pope Leo turned his attention to the future of Europe as he began the final day of a landmark visit to France that has drawn huge crowds and scenes of spiritual jubilation.

The leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics headed to Metz, a north-eastern city that repeatedly changed hands between France and Germany in past conflicts, to wrap up his four-day trip. The city is closely associated with Robert Schuman, one of the founding fathers of the European Union.

The first US pontiff was expected to speak on the “roots of Europe” and the importance of unity on a continent where nationalist movements are gaining strength and Russia’s war against Ukraine shows no sign of abating.

President Emmanuel Macron was also to speak and a handful of European heads of state and government were expected to be in attendance. Leo’s message will come seven months before French voters choose a successor to Mr Macron, with the eurosceptic, anti-immigration far-right seeking power.

The Pope sees Europe as a counterweight to the world’s major powers and has in the past called on the EU to overcome tensions and rediscover unity in pursuit of peace in Ukraine and beyond.

The first official papal visit to France in nearly two decades has stirred fervour among the faithful in the secular nation with deep Catholic roots. The Vatican said more than 1.3 million people turned out to see the Pope in Paris and Lourdes on the weekend.

At the French pilgrimage site of Lourdes, he told believers who were sick or had disabilities that assisted dying was not “normal”.

“No human law should ever make you lose the certainty of your dignity,” he said.

“We must reject the temptation to cause death under the guise of false compassion. It is impossible to regard causing death as something normal,” he added.

“What is legal is not necessarily moral.”

France’s parliament passed legislation in June establishing a right to assisted dying for some adults suffering from an incurable condition. The move drew strong criticism from the Catholic Church in France, which denounced the bill as a serious “rupture”.

In Lourdes, the Pope met with victims of clerical sex abuse and urged French bishops to battle the “scourge”.

Leo travelled on Saturday in his Pope-mobile along the Champs-Elysees and celebrated mass for around 800,000 people.

Throughout his journey, the Pope has appeared smiling and warm, readily engaging with crowds and blessing children and people with disabilities.

“He seems increasingly approachable, which is quite rare for a Pope,” said Catherine Ernst, a volunteer from Strasbourg.

Leo used his visit to reinforce the key priorities of his pontificate, urging peace and coexistence, and warning against losing humanity in “a paradise of machines” with the advance of AI.

He urged France to remain a champion of peace and said during a meeting with migrants on Saturday that it was possible to “live together in dignity and peace”.