Pope Leo XIV Warns on AI in Paris as a Catholic Schism Simmers

Pope Leo XIV warned in Paris this week that artificial intelligence could undermine humanity, speaking of a 'paradise of machines' at the Élysée Palace, according to Al Jazeera and Le Monde. The four-day state visit to France was his first to the country, and crowds cheered him in the streets, Le Monde reported.

France 24 reported that the trip is shadowed by the Vatican's recent excommunication of followers of the Society of Saint Pius X, an ultra-conservative Catholic splinter group with an extensive network of schools. The schism has revived a longstanding feud within the Roman Catholic Church, the broadcaster said.

The pope also used the visit to restate positions on bioethics. Le Monde reported that he condemned surrogacy, the buying of organs and what he described as the concept of arranging one's own death, and Politico Europe noted that he defended freedom of conscience without naming France's far right.