Death of Pope Francis: The pontiff and Emmanuel Macron, a complex relationship

9 months ago

Death of Pope Francis: The pontiff and Emmanuel Macron, a complex relationship

Although he had visited France three times, Pope Francis had never granted an official state visit to Paris.

READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/04/23/death-of-pope-francis-the-pontiff-and-emmanuel-macron-a-complex-relationship

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00:00A day after the death of Pope Francis, French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed he will attend the funeral on Saturday.

00:12But Franco-Vatican relations have been anything but straightforward, marked by moments of warmth,

00:18but also shaped by tensions over issues such as abortion being enshrined in the French Constitution

00:24and the country's evolving debate on assisted dying.

00:28Although often accused of being cold towards France, Pope Francis visited the country three times.

00:35That's more than any other during his 12-year pontificate.

00:40But these visits were marred by misunderstandings.

00:43The first was in Strasbourg in 2014, when the Pope gave a speech at the Council of Europe and the EU Parliament,

00:51but did not make a detour to the city's famous cathedral.

00:54Nine years later, the Pope visited Marseille, declaring,

01:01I'm going to Marseille, not France, a statement that raised many eyebrows.

01:07The pontiff celebrated Mass in a packed stadium and even called for a more compassionate approach to migrants,

01:14a subtle dig at the French government's policies.

01:17Allegations of tensions resurfaced last December when Pope Francis did not attend the grand reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

01:42Yet, a week later, he visited Corsica, his final trip abroad.

01:48But experts claim it was less about politics and more about proximity to the faithful.

01:53The Vatican has long defended these travel choices, saying they reflect Pope Francis' commitment to the church's peripheries,

02:19places overlooked by previous popes like Mongolia and Southeast Asia.

02:25A Pope who broke with tradition not to distance himself from France, but to reach out to the edges of the Catholic world.

Death of Pope Francis: The pontiff and Emmanuel Macron, a complex relationship

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