Emmanuel Macron is expected at the Vatican on April 10 for his first audience with Leo XIV

This time, Rome is on the presidential agenda. Emmanuel Macron President Macron is expected at the Vatican on April 10 for a private audience with Pope Leo XIV, a meeting confirmed by both the Élysée Palace and the Holy See. This would be the first meeting between the French president and the new pontiff since his installation at the Apostolic Palace in mid-March.

Nothing is set in stone, however; the meeting remains contingent on the international climate, with a previous postponement having already left its mark: two postponements in January and then March. The day before, the president is scheduled to be in Switzerland, a seemingly minor logistical detail, but one that serves as a reminder of how diplomacy can sometimes hinge on a single corridor.

A conditional one-on-one meeting, followed by the diplomatic dance.

According to protocol, Emmanuel Macron will be received in the morning at the Apostolic Palace, on the third floor where private audiences are held, for a closed-door meeting before the images, smiles, and exchange of gifts—that highly codified moment when everyone also speaks to their own opinion. Following this, the president is scheduled to meet with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, in charge of relations with states.

Two pillars of Vatican diplomacy: these meetings generally address current crises, international balances, and the unique relationship between France and the Holy See. In both Paris and Rome, it's understood that these encounters are never just a photo op; they reveal a position and an influence, and they can also be deciphered in what is left unsaid. Yet, the vagaries of the world remain, capable of disrupting a schedule in a matter of hours, and of imbuing this visit with a sense of uncertainty.