Pope Leo heads to France amid assisted dying, abuse debates

Pope Leo XIV is making his first official visit to France in 18 years, starting in Paris with a meeting with President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace. He will deliver a speech at UNESCO, attend a service at Notre-Dame Cathedral, and join a youth vigil at Stade de France, focusing on human dignity amid debates over the recent assisted dying law and clerical sexual abuse scandals. He is also expected to meet with seven survivors of abuse in Lourdes, as France grapples with a scandal that has deeply wounded the Church.