Pope Says 'Authentic Secularity' Does Not Exclude Religion, During France Visit

Pope Leo XIV said during a visit to France that "authentic secularity" does not require excluding religion from public life, addressing a country where law has separated church and state for more than a century.

"An authentic secularity, then, consists not in excluding religion from the public sphere or from education, but in striving to ensure that the state and religious institutions maintain dialogue and join forces in the service of the common good," the pope said, according to France 24.

The remarks touch on a subject of long-running debate in France, where the 1905 law on the separation of church and state remains a foundational principle of public life, often referred to as "laicite."

The pope's comments came as part of a broader visit to France that has included stops at other notable sites and events in the country.

No further detail of the pope's itinerary or additional remarks were included in the reported comments.