Pope Leo XIV’s four-day visit to France has brought the country’s secular model, known as laïcité, into renewed public focus.

AP reported that the pope’s programme included public gatherings in Paris and Lourdes, while President Emmanuel Macron hosted him in a diplomatic capacity.

France’s 1905 law established the separation of church and state while protecting freedom of belief and worship. More France and world news.

Source: Associated Press, September 23, 2026.

Imran Siddiqui

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