James O'Reilly
This is how President Macron arrived at the Vatican for his first meeting with Pope Leo XIV, who will mark his first year as pope at the beginning of next month.
The French president had already been to the Vatican three times since his election in 2017, but all of those visits had been with Pope Francis. They had also shared brief encounters during international trips, such as in Marseille in 2023 and Corsica in 2024.
This face-to-face meeting is especially important given current international tensions, such as the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East and European foreign policies revolving around the war in Iran.
The Vatican indicated that there was an exchange of views on the current wars between the two leaders during this visit, highlighting the need to restore peaceful coexistence through dialogue and negotiation.
President Macron was accompanied by his wife. The pope was given, among other things, a French national basketball team jersey signed by all the players.
