Pope Leo encourages French civic leaders to unite politics and faith

Pope Leo XIV on Aug. 28 urged Catholic politicians to integrate their faith into every aspect of public service.

He delivered the remarks to a delegation of elected officials from the Diocese of Créteil, France, visiting the Vatican on pilgrimage with Bishop Dominique Blanchet.

“There is not on one side the politician, and on the other the Christian,” the Pontiff told them, according to a translation provided by Vatican journalist Diane Montagna. “Rather, there is the politician who, under the gaze of God and of his conscience, lives out his commitments and his responsibilities in a Christian manner.”

The Pope acknowledged the difficulty of public Christian witness, especially in countries like France where laïcité — a strict form of secularism — is often interpreted as a requirement to suppress personal faith in political life. 

Yet the Gospel speaks to every aspect of human society, he noted.

“The salvation that Jesus won through His death and resurrection encompasses every dimension of human life — such as culture, economy and labor, family and marriage, the respect for human dignity and life, health, as well as communication, education, and politics,” he said.”

He called on the officials to draw strength from their union with Christ and from the virtue of charity received at baptism. Quoting the Church’s social teaching, he said, “‘Social charity makes us love the common good, [and] it makes us effectively seek the good of all people.’”

Pope Leo also warned against promoting Christian values while sidelining Christ Himself. 

“‘Apart from me you can do nothing,’” he reminded them, quoting John 15:5. “It is therefore no cause for surprise that the promotion of ‘values,’ however evangelical they may be, but ‘emptied’ of Christ who is their author, should prove powerless to change the world.”

He encouraged public officials to deepen their spiritual lives and engage seriously with the Church’s teachings — especially its social doctrine — not as theory, but as a framework for lawmaking and public responsibility.

“Its foundations are fundamentally in harmony with human nature, with the natural law that all can recognize, even non-Christians, even non-believers,” he said. “You must not therefore fear to propose it and to defend it with conviction: it is a doctrine of salvation that seeks the good of every human being, the building of societies that are peaceful, harmonious, prosperous, and reconciled.”

Concluding his address, Pope Leo called for courage in the face of political pressure and cultural resistance. 

“[Politicians] need courage: the courage at times to say, ‘No, I cannot!’ when the truth is at stake,” he said. “Once again, only union with Jesus — Jesus crucified! — will give you the courage to suffer for His name.”

After assuring the officials of his prayers and entrusting their service and their nation to the protection of Our Lady of the Assumption, he imparted his Apostolic Blessing.

The post Pope Leo encourages French civic leaders to unite politics and faith appeared first on CatholicVote org.