Pope Leo Praises Europe’s Democracy, Diverging Once Again From Trump

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Leo XIV delivered a lengthy tribute on Monday to efforts to unify and democratize Europe since World War II, in what experts saw as a sweeping riposte to the Trump administration’s characterization of a continent facing “civilizational erasure.”

In a speech in Metz, in northeastern France, Leo offered an alternative vision of a Europe that would “continue to flourish and to inspire the whole world.”

Describing an “increasingly uncivilized” world, Leo said that “Europe can help to break this cycle through the respect for others that it has learned to cultivate.” He also praised and quoted from the founding principles of the European Union, an institution frequently assailed by Mr. Trump.

On the last day of a four-day trip to France, the pope made a symbolic choice to speak at the Robert Schuman Center, a convention hall named after a Christian French statesman who led efforts to improve postwar cooperation between European nations.

Leo did not name any particular leader or political party, but analysts read some of his more pointed remarks as critiques of the Trump administration, which — by assailing NATO, the European Union and European allies like Denmark — has scrambled the order that has governed European alliances since World War II.

Leo said that Europe, with its Christian heritage and history of cooperation, could push back against those who dismiss “the value of keeping one’s word” and those who “boast of lies and deceit.”

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