France news
The gist
Pope Leo XIV arrived in Paris on Sep 25 for a four-day visit.
The trip lands as record fuel prices and market stress test France.
How it unfolded
- Sep 23, 2026French diesel prices hit a record €2.41 a litre; the government announced expanded fuel relief measures costing €450 million, bringing total spending to €1.4 billion. Fishermen blocked oil depots and ports in the south while farmers demonstrated over fuel prices.
- Sep 25, 2026Pope Leo XIV arrived at Paris-Orly Airport and, at the Élysée Palace, urged French leaders to protect every human life, condemning assisted dying, abortion and surrogacy. He also warned at UNESCO that a "paradise of machines" risked undermining humanity.
- Sep 25, 2026French 10-year borrowing costs over German equivalents rose to more than 110 basis points, the highest since 2012; five-year CDS traded around 52 basis points, the most since April 2017. Scope downgraded France and Moody's could follow in late October.