Pope Leo XIV and French President Emmanuel Macron held their first meeting Friday, a private audience at the Vatican where discussions ranged from the Iran war to basketball.
The French leader wanted above all to discuss “the resolution of the crisis in the Middle East” with the head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, a spokesman for Macron’s office told reporters ahead of the meeting.
Lebanon, where deadly Israeli strikes threatened this week’s temporary truce between the United States and Iran, is a particular cause for concern for both men.
After the meeting, Macron said he was “very happy” to meet the pontiff, writing on X: “We share the same conviction. In the face of the world’s fractures, action for peace is a duty and a requirement.”
In a statement, the Vatican said Pope Leo and his top officials had discussed with Macron “conflicts around the world, expressing hope that peaceful coexistence can be re-established through dialogue and…
