Motoko Rich

For a pope who appeared to have time on his side, cancer has raised questions about his longevity and brought a new urgency to his plans for the Church.

In a four-day visit, Pope Leo XIV won praise across the political spectrum, even from its most avowedly secular figures.

Speaking in France, the pontiff lauded postwar efforts to unify the continent. Experts saw it as a critique of President Trump’s repeated berating of European leaders.

Asked about the Trump administration’s restrictions on journalists, Leo told reporters accompanying him on a flight to France that they were “all welcome.”

After touring Africa, Pope Leo’s four-day visit to France shows how he is seeking to appeal to Roman Catholicism’s original heartlands as well as to the church’s newest strongholds.

Amid record-breaking temperatures on the continent, households and businesses in Italy are increasingly installing cooling units.

Immigrants have long eased labor shortages on farms and factories in Italy. But churches also need foreign-born priests, like the Rev. Vincent Souly of the Ivory Coast.