A first diplomatic exchange with Emmanuel Macron

Emmanuel Macron has already maintained himself by phone with the new Pope Leon XIV, a week right after his election. A photo of the French president – sitting all smiles behind his office at the Elysée – was published in the early evening of May 15 on his social networks. This is the first official exchange between them, which has notably focused on current conflicts.

“We have approached the efforts to be made to silence the weapons wherever conflicts are rampant around the world, especially for a solid and lasting peace in Ukraine and Gaza,” said Emmanuel Macron. Since the start of his pontificate, Pope Léon XIV has repeatedly hampered the urgency of ending conflicts. From his first words, when he presented himself to Catholics around the world on May 8 on the Balcony of the Saint-Pierre Basilica, he repeatedly pronounced the word “peace”.

The same aspiration to peace unites the two men, however carried by different registers: Emmanuel Macron in chief of state concerned with his diplomatic role, the Pope as a pastor.

Other common concerns fuel their dialogue. “We share the ambition to reconcile the fight against poverty and protection of the planet. This is what France carries with more than 70 partners of all continents within the framework of the Pact for Prosperity, the Peoples and the Planet. This is what the world will defend in Nice in early June at the United Nations Conference for the Ocean, “added Emmanuel Macron. For the time being, Pope Léon XIV has not announced a trip to France on the occasion of this event.

An exchange with Volodymyr Zelensky

Other heads of state have already started their diplomatic curve to invite the new Pope to their country. Volodymyr Zelensky, in mind, can claim the first official exchange with the American-Peruvian pontiff. It was May 12, also during a phone call. A conversation around proposals of ceasefire and humanitarian questions.

“We also mentioned the situation of the thousands of Ukrainian children deported by Russia. Ukraine is counting on the Vatican help to repatriate them to their families, “said the Ukrainian president. Before concluding: “I invited his holiness to make an apostolic visit to Ukraine. Such a visit would bring real hope to all believers and all our people. In the meantime, it remains to be seen who will be the first leader that Pope Leo XIV will meet in person.