Pope wraps up four-day visit to France with call for European peace and unity

On the last day of his four-day visit to France on Monday, Catholic Pope Leo XIV condemned any use of God’s name to justify violence and oppression.

“Invoking God’s name to legitimise violence or oppression is a desecration of that name. Nothing that undermines human dignity can claim to be genuinely inspired by God,” he said.

Speaking at an interfaith meeting in Metz, he urged the various religious leaders to foster a path to friendship, peace, and brotherhood.

The eastern city, near the border with Luxembourg and Germany, is closely linked to Robert Schuman, one of the founding fathers of the European Union.

Leo spoke of the forces of dialogue that contributed to Europe’s post-World War II integration, saying it should remember this tradition when confronting today’s challenges of war, migration, and polarisation.

“Dialogue does not diminish our identity but expresses it with simplicity and truth by opening us to the difference of the other,” he said.

Leo said that religion cannot be used to justify violence in a world market by conflict and contempt for the most vulnerable.

“Religious discourse must constantly call for the disarming of hearts and words. This entails the direct responsibility of each of us, as guardians of our respective traditions,” he said.

Religions must protect human dignity and be “protect, accompany, and serve life”, he said, adding it was always possible to come together across borders and build peace.