Today we had the pleasure of visiting the United Nations International School (UNIS), a private school located in the heart of New York City. Founded in 1947 on the initiative of the United Nations, this institution has been welcoming the children of diplomats and international staff for nearly eight decades.

UNIS provides a rigorous education based on the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, with a particular focus on language learning. French naturally occupies a prominent place as the language of diplomacy and work in international organizations. This multilingual and multicultural approach prepares young people to thrive in a globalized world and promotes harmony and understanding.

This day was dedicated to the solemn inauguration of Pope Leo XIV. We are delighted to see Francis succeeded by a man who, like Jorge Bergoglio before him, has spent many years working in Latin America with the most disadvantaged, demonstrating a profound fidelity to the Gospel lived in the service of the poor and the excluded.

His career and his commitment to the most vulnerable communities embody a continuity in the vision of a Church that is close to the peripheries, attentive to the sufferings of the world and resolutely focused on social justice. His vision powerfully reminds us that good governance, whether spiritual, political, or social, springs first and foremost from love and consideration for one's neighbor, and that no institution can claim to serve the common good without placing human dignity at the heart of its actions.

It is with deep sadness that we attended Pope Francis' funeral today. We gathered at his tomb, which bears only the simple inscription “Francisco,” reflecting this pope who was close to the people and loved for his humility and evangelical simplicity.

Francis will be remembered as an authentic pastor, simple but firm in his convictions, deeply attached to ordinary people and to the peripheries of the world. His commitment to universal fraternity, embodied in particular in the encyclical Fratelli Tutti, remains a powerful call for solidarity, dialogue, and peace among all peoples. We will continue our efforts in this spirit...