France's President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron are welcomed by officials as they arrive in San Damaso courtyard before a meeting with Pope Leo XIV, in the Vatican on April 10, 2026. (Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP)
Vatican City: French President Emmanuel Macron arrived on Friday at the Vatican for his first meeting with Pope Leo XIV, a private audience expected to be dominated by the Iran war.
The French leader, who arrived with his wife Brigitte after flying to Rome on Thursday, will meet the US pontiff and the Vatican's secretary of state, Pietro Parolin.
They are particularly focused on Lebanon, where deadly Israeli strikes threatened this week's temporary truce between the US and Iran.
Leo XIV visited Lebanon late last year as part of his first trip abroad, which also included Turkey, and has repeatedly prayed for the victims of conflict there.
Macron has also made numerous appeals for Lebanon to be included in the ceasefire.
