Visit of Pope Leo XIV to France: three questions for Charles Personnaz, Ambassador of France to the Holy See

1. Why does France have representation in the Holy See?

France has maintained steady diplomatic relations with the Holy See since the Middle Ages. The French Embassy to the Holy See is in fact France’s oldest permanent representation abroad. Today, the Holy See is both an important diplomatic actor, present on all continents, and an influential voice on major contemporary issues such as peace, dialogue between peoples, the fight against poverty, migration, environmental protection and artificial intelligence. It is precisely the role of our Embassy to maintain this dialogue, in a city that, through the presence of the Holy See, is a window on the entire world.
 

2. Being an ambassador to the Vatican means representing a secular State in a Catholic world. What does this look like in your day-to-day work?   

French secularism guarantees freedom of conscience and enables dialogue with all beliefs and religions, while keeping the political separate from the religious. The role of ambassador to the Holy See is thus to fully represent the Republic and its principles, while engaging in dialogue with a global institution whose voice and action extend far beyond the religious sphere alone, and which occupies a unique position in diplomacy and multilateralism. 

3. What are the goals of the Pope’s visit to France? 

A papal visit has two dimensions, distinguishing it from that of a classic Head of State. The Pope is the sovereign of the Vatican City State, and, first and foremost for Catholics, the spiritual head of the Catholic Church. His visit therefore has both a diplomatic facet, with the French authorities, and a pastoral one, focused on Catholics in France, and French society more broadly.