Pope Leo XIV Warns UN Risks Becoming a 'Charade' in First Papal UNESCO Address Since 1980

On the first day of his state visit to France, Pope Leo XIV addressed French diplomats and politicians at the Élysée Palace on the 'scourge of war' in the Middle East and called for nuclear disarmament. He then delivered an address at UNESCO's Paris headquarters — the first papal visit there in over 40 years, since John Paul II in 1980 — warning that international institutions risk becoming a 'charade' and urging an ethical approach to artificial intelligence. The day closed with a prayer vigil before roughly 80,000 young people at the Stade de France.