Pope Leo XIV urged Jewish, Muslim, Protestant and Orthodox leaders in Metz on Monday to promote peace and dialogue, warning that using God's name to justify violence or oppression profanes it. He linked the appeal to Europe's postwar unity.
The meeting was held at the Robert Schuman conference center. Schuman's 1950 declaration proposed a European Coal and Steel Community to pool French and German production. The community was the first of the institutions that preceded the European Union; Leo cited Schuman as an example of dialogue among rivals.
During his wider France visit, Leo called for Europe to remember its Christian heritage when facing ethical and geopolitical challenges. In Lourdes on Sunday, he called France's recently approved law permitting medically assisted dying “false compassion.”
