On Tuesday, one day after the death of Pope Francis, French president Emmanuel Macron said that he would cancel his trip to Mauritius to attend the pontiff funeral to the Vatican on Saturday.
But Franco-Vatican relations were anything but simple, marked by moments of heat but also riddled with tensions.
The relationship between the Jesuit pope and the French president, the latter, was educated in a Jesuit school, was cordial and sometimes even warm.
In 2018, during one of their meetings at the Vatican, Macron praised the pontiff by kissing his cheek. The two men were in the first name.
However, the Pope did not agree on several Macron positions, such as the transition from France to Abortion rights consecrated in its constitution last year, and its evolving debate On Assistated Dying – subjects where Pope Francis and the French government have diverged.
Although often accused of being cold towards France, Pope Francis visited the country three times – more than any other during his 12 -year pontificate.
However, each visit was spoiled by misunderstandings, which led a lot to question the relationship between the Pope and France.
“I'm going to go to Marseille, not to France”
Francis' first visit to France in 2014 was officially European.
He went to Strasbourg to address the Council of Europe and the European Parliament. But he did not visit the famous city cathedral – a detail that sparked criticism at the time.
In 2023, Pope Francis went to the southern city of Marseille to denounce the tragedy of migrant shipwrecks in the Mediterranean.
But it was a comment before the visit that made the headlines.
“I'm going to go to Marseille, not to France,” he said-to write speculation to know if he was deliberately distanting himself from the French government.
Francis attracted a crowd of 60,000advocacy For greater compassion for migrants – a subtle excavation in Macron's most difficult position on immigration.
“There have been a certain number of very frank exchanges between the two heads of state”, but “everyone was in their own role,” French Minister of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday, Jean-Noël, during an interview on French radio Franceinfo on Tuesday.
One last visit – and a missed invitation
The most symbolic rupture occurred in December 2024. Pope Francis did not attend the great reopening of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris, five years after being ravaged by fire.
ADVERTISEMENTHowever, a week later, the The pope went to Corsicawho would prove to be his last trip abroad.
For some, the choice looked like a snob. But Martin Dumont, historian and expert in Catholicism, argued that he reflected the Pope's unwavering commitment to achieve what he called the “peripheries” of the Catholic world.
“He preferred to make pastoral visits,” said Dumont. “He really wanted to get in touch with the faithful directly … He did not want to make state visits, which would have led to a lot of pumps and protocol,” he told Euronews.
The head of the Catholic Church has never made any secrets of the fact that Europe was not his priority.
ADVERTISEMENTThroughout its papacy, Francis avoided official visits to other great Catholic nations such as Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Instead, he chose destinations such as Asia, Africa and smaller and poorer countries and those at war.
