‘Fascinating success’: Pope Leo’s appeal in France transcends faith and politics

Annette Young is pleased to welcome Victor GAETAN, Senior International Correspondent for the National Catholic Register. He sees Pope Leo XIV’s visit to France as more than a successful pastoral journey. He says it offers a window into the intellectual and political character of Leo’s nascent papacy. What has been particularly striking is the breadth of his appeal: Leo has been welcomed by people of different faiths and across France’s political spectrum. He also sees a direct intellectual connection between the present Pope and Leo XIII, particularly through Rerum Novarum, which confronted the social consequences of technological and economic transformation at the end of the XIX century.