Pope Leo warns a 'paradise of machines' could undermine humanity on his France visit

Pope Leo XIV and French President Emmanuel Macron attend a joint statement at the Élysée Palace in Paris, Friday. Teresa Suarez/AP hide caption

PARIS — Pope Leo XIV warned Friday that a "paradise of machines" risked undermining humanity as he opened a trip to France by posing fundamental questions about what it means to be human in the age of artificial intelligence, a nuclear arms race and other threats to life itself.

Leo raised existential concerns about scientific progress, life and human rights during his opening speech to President Emmanuel Macron and authorities at the Élysée Palace and then to diplomats and United Nations employees at the headquarters of UNESCO, the U.N. culture and education organization.

With wars plaguing Europe and the Middle East, he reaffirmed the Vatican's opposition to nuclear weapons and said the nuclear deterrence doctrine was "mistaken" since it was just fueling a new arms race.

"Peace is not a balance of power; rather, it is built day by day through dialogue and justice," he said.

Leo has an intense four days in France, where the Catholic Church has lost ground on influencing ethical issues given the strict approach to secularism that is enshrined in the French Constitution.

Church bells tolled across the country when Leo's charter flight landed at Paris' Orly airport, and more than a million people are expected to turn out to see him. They lined the streets of the capital as Leo's motorcade passed by, underscoring the surprising level of interest in Leo's visit, the first official state visit by a pope in 18 years.

Macron said Leo's visit brings "a source of hope" to many French people.