Archbishop of Paris hopes papal visit will renew Christian witness in a secular society

Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris said he is looking to Pope Leo XIV's visit as a chance to renew Christian witness in an increasingly secular society.

Ulrich said he welcomed the pope's upcoming visit to his diocese. Speaking to Vatican media, he stressed the need for a clear message on the protection of life, and rejected the idea that a life may be ended because it has not reached a certain level of well-being. He said he believed the pope would want to find Notre Dame cathedral full of life, and that he hopes the visit will strengthen Christian and missionary energy.

After months of preparations shaped by time constraints and security requirements, Ulrich said he has decided to let himself be carried along by the joy of the occasion. Many French people, he said, see the pope as "a witness to Christ and a witness to a Gospel clearly capable of speaking to people today as much as to people of the past." The pope's message, he added, will not be confined to Catholic circles but will reach a much wider audience, as reflected in the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas.

The archbishop also pointed to the need to reflect on what it means to be human at a time when artificial intelligence is raising concerns about the future. "Leo XIV invites us to reflect on how to remain human," Ulrich said. He said every new development can become an opportunity to "express our deepest humanity in relation to the Creator, the Savior," without falling into condemnation or excessive enthusiasm.

On end-of-life issues, Ulrich said he is concerned about the assisted suicide law recently passed by the French Parliament. He warned that Western societies risk setting standards of well-being that lead people to regard life as undignified when those standards are not met. "The joy of living received in faith," he said, "can be passed on, and even carried forward by people who do not share our Christian faith," always in the name of respect and fraternity.

Ulrich said he hopes the pope, who is not tied to any national political sphere, can address the whole world and encourage individuals and peoples against war, killing and violence in all its forms. "Leo XIV encourages a taste for life lived, for life shared, for life given," he said.

Leo XIV will preside at Vespers in the Paris cathedral and has said he wants to see the building fully restored after the fire of April 15, 2019. Ulrich said he "wanted to see it alive," and hopes the pope's presence will give new impetus to Christian and missionary life in France. He also said he hopes the visit will help Catholics make their witness heard in a society that is increasingly secular and multi-faith.