French parliament

Pope Leo XIV said on Sunday that assisted dying was not "normal", speaking during his landmark visit to France. His comments come as the French parliament has legalised the practice for certain patients, placing the pontiff in direct tension with French law. The remarks drew attention as the visit highlighted the clash between Catholic teaching and France's secular legislation on end-of-life care.

France's Rassemblement National has formed a parliamentary group in the Senate for the first time, marking a historic step for Marine Le Pen's far-right party in the upper house of parliament. Reaching the threshold for an official group gives the party greater speaking time, committee seats and institutional legitimacy, and is being read as further evidence of its growing normalisation in French politics.

Villa Europa, the European Union's diplomatic venue in Rome, welcomed French mathematician and politician Cedric Villani for a visit. Villani, a Fields Medal winner and former member of the French parliament, has been active in European policy debates. Details of the meetings or events held during his stay have not been made public.