Vatican France
FILE - People enter the Notre-Dame-du-Rosaire basilica in Lourdes, southwestern France, Tuesday Sept. 8, 2026 .
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Pope Leo XIV opens a four-day visit to France this weekend that is expected to touch on church teaching about the value of all human life. His visit comes after France in 2024 enshrined abortion as a constitutional right and recently gave final approval to a bill allowing adults with incurable illnesses to receive lethal medication. Leo has emphasized the need to protect the dignity of all human life, from immigrants to the sick and unborn, most significantly in his inaugural encyclical on safeguarding human dignity in the age of artificial intelligence. During the trip that starts Friday, Leo is also expected to discuss AI at UNESCO.
