Pope Leo XIV urges Europeans to welcome migrants

Pope Leo XIV called for a more welcoming attitude towards migrants in Europe as he concluded a four-day visit to France.

Speaking in Metz, once the home of Robert Schuman, one of the European Union’s founding fathers and a proponent of reconciliation after World War II, the Pope criticised calls by leaders to increase arms expenditure, saying it was contrary to the process of peace through dialogue. The head of the Catholic Church was accompanied to Metz by French President Emmanuel Macron, who is due to demit office early next year.

“We see many men and women fleeing war and persecution,” the Pope said, citing the case of the Canary Islands, which has seen an influx of migrants from Africa.

“We need to welcome people. We need to integrate them as a member of our own family, giving them the possibility to develop their skills and talents and live according to their values,” he added. In an apparent nod to the EU’s official policies, the Pope acknowledged the need to fight human trafficking and to implement policies that will allow people to live on their own lands. He also said that migrants needed to be taught the history of the lands they are joining, and he called for dialogue between different groups.

His remarks come as the far right in Europe is making surges. France’s own nativist party, National Rally, won a record 14 seats in France’s Senate over the weekend, giving it the right to form a legislative caucus.

In his speech, the Pope also made veiled references to his opposition to abortion and the assisted dying, asking people to “love life at every moment of life” and to “fight for life”. Speaking on Sunday (September 27, 2026) in Lourdes, the Pope had pushed back against the right to abortion and recently passed French laws on assisted dying, calling the process “false compassion”.

Europe has around 285 million Catholics, representing over a third of its population.