Leo XIV and the Challenge to the Heart of Christianity| National Catholic Register

 The big news last week was the Vatican’s long-expected confirmation of Pope Leo XIV’s November journey to Argentina, Uruguay and Peru. But before he undertakes his three-nation tour of South America, the Pope will travel to France.

The Sept. 25-28 trip will be a significant journey to the heart of secularized Europe, highlighted by France’s recent legalization of euthanasia.

But France is also a country of ancient Christianity, where the Catholic faith is experiencing a remarkable revival for reasons no one really understands. And his visit there will reveal much about how Leo XIV intends to address what is shaping up to be a veritable attack on the heart of Christianity itself.

France represents the new existential periphery of Europe. While it considers itself the “eldest daughter” of the Church, it has experienced an unprecedented wave of secularization over the centuries, naturally fostered by the cultural climate created by the French Revolution. Today, Christianophobic attacks have become so widespread in France that a special monitoring system had to be set up to track them all.

France is also likely the place from which to begin the reconstruction of a Christian culture, something for which Leo XIV has been preparing the faithful since the beginning of his pontificate.

His first trip was to Monaco, one of the world’s smallest countries, to pay homage to a nation with an ancient Christian tradition, but above all to emphasize that every nation counts in the multilateral world. 

Then, there was the trip to Spain, where 1.2 million people came to see — and hear — the Pope in Madrid.  Meanwhile, in the secularized and anticlerical Barcelona, an incredible crowd held its breath during Leo’s extraordinary and heartfelt blessing of the Tower of Jesus at the Sagrada Família.

In France, the Pope plans to dedicate an entire day to Europe. Included on the agenda is a visit to the city of Metz, where Venerable Robert Schuman, the one of the great architects of a united Europe after World War II, is buried.

A great deal has been made of European secularization and the twilight of the faith, even the eclipse of the divine, but Leo XIV seems to be saying it is precisely from the countries of ancient faith and recent secularization that we must begin again to build a Christian culture capable of influencing public opinion.

While preparations were underway for the Pope’s trip to France, French President Emmanuel Macron successfully passed a law decriminalizing euthanasia. The government’s decision, in two parliamentary steps that seemed forced and ideological, had the effect of uniting the Catholic world.

For years, the French bishops have been united in the fight against the liberalization of end-of-life care, having published fiery statements on the issue and demonstrating incredible unity of purpose, but in this last, losing round, there was wide support from the (still culturally) Catholic rank and file.

There is great anticipation for the Pope’s words in France, especially in Lourdes, where he will address the sick who might face pressure to end their own lives, but also in Metz, where he will call for a reconstitution of European culture based on the dignity of the person.

But if there’s weeping in France, there’s no laughter in other parts of Europe.

There’s a tiny European country, Andorra, governed by two co-princes: One is the president of the French Republic; the other is the bishop of Urgell. Now, Andorra is obviously Catholic, and abortion is prohibited under all circumstances. But there’s currently a fierce liberal majority in the country’s parliament trying to change that. 

So much so that on July 29, Xavier Espot, the head of the Andorra government, met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state. Accompanied by Ladislau Baró, minister of institutional relations, they attempted to find a “solution compatible with the Andorran constitutional framework”— as Prime Minister Espot’s statement put it — to finally introduce abortion in the country. There is also a push for euthanasia, as well. 

The debate has been ongoing for two years, and it’s striking how such an issue is so profoundly felt in a small place like Andorra. 

Andorra and Monaco are the last Catholic countries where abortion is a crime. Malta opened the door to abortion on the eve of Benedict XVI’s visit in 2010. In 2007,  Portugal had done the same — although Christianity in Portugal has ancient roots, it still must contend with liberal majorities that, in effect, advance an agenda based on individual freedoms but never the common good.

Monaco ultimately rejected an abortion law because of the definitive veto of Prince Albert. But how will a new prince, one day, faced with a similar situation, be able to oppose it once Andorra has also legalized abortion?

Therefore, Andorra is also, somehow, a workshop.

Will the Old Continent be able to resist?

It’s hard to say, given new governments that seem to be instilling an individualistic shift even in European countries, while the U.S. State Department is launching a call for proposals to promote conservative values in Europe.

In short, the issue has become the subject of ideological conflict. International politics has no real interest in listening to the words of the Pope or the Church. Rather, there is an exploitation of Christian values for political gain, which is one of the great risks the Pope is taking.

Thus, in France, Leo XIV is called to repel the attack launched at the heart of Christianity. In fact, the great theme remains the absence of God. Cardinal Robert Sarah, in an interview with Il Foglio on Aug. 1, noted how people now live as if God did not exist.

It is fair to expect that to be the great theme of Leo XIV’s journey to the heart of Europe.

It is a crucial and delicate issue, one that is difficult to manage. Yet it is the only theme the Pope can cultivate if he is to overcome the cultural crisis of Christianity today. France is a starting point. Andorra can be a case study of how small nations can be at the mercy of large transnational political movements. Monaco, we know, was the place from which the Pope affirmed that everyone, even the smallest, can and must have a voice.

Perhaps the underlying theme is that the Catholic world hasn’t truly contributed to a cultural movement in recent years, let alone a purposeful activism.

Now is the time to rebuild everything.

The Pope’s travels can be encouraging in this regard.