Between Pope Francis and Emmanuel Macron, a relationship fabricated from tutors … and spikes | EUROtoday

The Saint Martin medal

First big tête-à-tête in June 2018. François receives the French president at the Vatican for more than an hour. The maintenance is cordial, dense. At the end of the meeting, the Pope offers Emmanuel Macron a medal from Saint Martin. A reference to the hometown of the Head of State, since it was in Amiens that Saint Martin cut off his coat to give a part to a needy old man.

Read too François, “the pope of the poor and the outskirts”, died at the age of 88The symbol is clear. Two weeks earlier, a video that became viral showed the French president denouncing the “loopy plump” spent in social assistance. A gift seen by commentators as a clear reference to the social and migration policy of the Head of State.

“I come to Marseille, not in France”

Five years later, the scene changed. In September 2023, Pope Francis went to Marseille for a two -day visit. From the outset, he poses his conditions: “I come to Marseille, not in France. A clear way to cut short any attempt at political recovery.

Once there, the message hardens. Faced with the migration crisis in Lampedusa, the pope denounces the “cruelty” of European indifference. In the audience, Gérald Darmanin, Emmanuel Macron, and part of the government cashed without flinching. Later, the president relativizes: “France does not have to be ashamed, it is a host country. »»