Tuesday, just one day later The death of Pope Francisthe French president, Emmanuel MacronHe said he would cancel his trip to Mauricio to participate in the Pope’s funeral in the Vatican Saturday. But the Franco-Vatican relationships have been of everything except simple, marked by moments of heat but also afflicted by tensions.
THE relation Between the Jesuit Pope and the French president, the latter educated in a Jesuit school, he was friendly and sometimes even hot. In 2018, during one of his meetings in the Vatican, Macron greeted the pontiff who kissed his cheek. Both men monitored.
However, the pope did not agree in different Macron positions, such as the measure of France of consecrate the right to abortion In his establishment of last year and his evolving debate on assisted death, the issues in which Pope Francis and the French government are divergent.
Although he is often accused of being cold with France, Pope Francis visited the country three times, more than any other during his 12 years of pontificate. However, each visit was blurred by misunderstandingswhich led many to question the relationship between Pope and France.
“I will go to Marseille, not in France”
Francisco’s first visit to France in 2014 was, Officially, European. Travele Strange to go to the Council of Europe and the European Parliament. But he did not visit the famous cathedral of the city, A detail that raised criticism at that moment.
In 2023, Pope Francis traveled in the southern city of Marseille To denounce the tragedy of the shipwrecks of migrants in the Mediterranean. But it was a comment before the visit that monopolized the titles. “I go to Marseille, not to France,” he said, causing Speculation on the fact that it was distance deliberately by the French government.
Francisco attracted a multitude of 60,000 people at the Velódromo stadium of the city, where he celebrated a mass and made a Passionate call To a greater compassion towards migrants, a subtle indirect position for Macron’s hardest position on immigration. “There have been a series of very frank exchanges between the two heads of state”, but “each one was in their role”, the French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Tuesday, during an interview on the French radio “Italianinfo”.
One last visit and a lost invitation
The most symbolic break occurred in December 2024. Pope Francis did not participate in the great reopening of the cathedral of Our lady From Paris, five years after being devastated by a fire. However, a week later, the Pope traveled to Corsicain which it would have been his last trip abroad.
For some, the choice was disagreed. But Martin Dumont, historian and expert of Catholicism, claimed to reflect the Pope’s unknowable commitment to achieve what he called “outskirts“From the Catholic world.
“I preferred to do pastoral visits“Dumont explained.” I wanted to enter direct contact with the faithful… I didn’t want to make state visits, which would lead to a lot of pump and protocol, “he told Euronews.
The head of the Catholic Church has never hidden it Europe was not its priority. During his papacy, Francisco has avoided official visits to other great Catholic nations Like Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom. Instead, he has chosen destinations such as Asia, Africa and the smaller, poorer and war countries.
