Ifop, on behalf of Famille Chrétienne, RCF NOTRE DAME, and Aleteia, conducted a survey asking French people about Pope Leo XIV’s visit to France.
When asked about Pope Leo XIV’s defense of Catholic values, 32% of French people believe that the Pope defends them rather well (57% among practicing Catholics), compared with 10% who believe he defends them rather poorly (12%), and 58% who believe he defends them neither well nor poorly (31%). By comparison, 79% of practicing Catholics believed in April 2025 that Pope Francis defended these values fairly well, compared with 72% in 2021 and 76% in 2016.
41% of French people believe that Pope Leo XIV is first and foremost the head of a religious institution that primarily serves Catholics (42% among Catholics), 21% believe he is a spiritual leader and an important moral voice in public discourse (27%), and finally, 12% believe he is a prominent media figure (13%). A quarter of the French population has no opinion on the Pope (26%).
Regarding the topics the French would like the Pope to address, peace and global conflicts top the list at 51%. The next most common topics are the fight against sexual abuse and its prevention within the Church (32%), the situation of the most disadvantaged (26%), Europe and its future (17%), and immigration and the reception of migrants (16%). The rise in adult baptisms and conversions (6%), as well as evangelization (5%), remain marginal topics for the French.
Finally, when asked about the main consequence of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to France, one-quarter of the French believe it will breathe new life into the Church in France (26%), compared to one-third of Catholics (36%), 41% of whom are practicing. One in ten French people believe it will strengthen the dialogue between believers and non-believers in France (10%). Eight percent believe it will influence the ethical and societal debate in France, and 6% believe it will influence the political debate leading up to the 2027 presidential election. More than a quarter of the French public believe it will have no particular consequences (27%).
