Pope Leo XIV celebrated an open-air mass for an estimated 700,000 faithful at Paris’s Place de la Concorde on Saturday, riding the Popemobile down the Champs-Élysées during a four-day apostolic journey to France that highlights the enduring presence of Catholicism in a officially secular nation, according to the Associated Press and the Vatican.
Mass at Place de la Concorde Draws Massive Turnout
The 71-year-old pontiff led the hour-and-a-half-long liturgy beneath a giant white canopy erected at the historic Parisian square. Over a stretch exceeding two kilometers, crowds surged past the Arc de Triomphe, waving French and Vatican flags while choir and organ music accompanied the service. Vatican organizers reported an attendance of 700,000 people, while city authorities maintained strict security with rooftop snipers and closed roadways.
“It is truly good and pleasant when brothers and sisters come together and glorify the greatness of God,” Pope Leo stated during his homily, urging believers not to keep their faith confined to themselves.
Political Climate and Civil Society Engagements
The papal visit arrives seven months ahead of France’s presidential election to succeed centrist President Emmanuel Macron. Several prominent political figures attended or sent representatives to the weekend events, including far-right leader Marine Le Pen and centrist Edouard Philippe, while President Macron was represented by his wife, Brigitte. Earlier on Saturday, the pope visited Maison Bakhita, an association supporting refugees, where he emphasized the possibility of living together in dignity and peace and underscored the fundamental role of women in building a civilisation of love.
Addressing the Catholic Institute of Paris earlier in the day, Pope Leo expressed surprise at a notable uptick in adult baptisms across France, which have tripled since 2016 to reach 13,000 this year, even as long-term demographic trends show declining overall church participation compared to historical figures from decades prior.
Weekend Itinerary and Upcoming Schedule
The journey began on Friday with a prayer stop at the restored Notre Dame Cathedral—marking the first papal visit to the landmark since its devastating 2019 fire—followed by an evening youth rally outside Paris where the pope warned against an AI-driven “paradise of machines” and urged France to remain a champion of peace amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. Later on Saturday, the pope traveled to Lourdes in southwestern France, a major Catholic shrine associated with traditional accounts of Marian apparitions.
On Sunday, Pope Leo is scheduled to meet privately with seven victims of clerical sex abuse, following a 2021 inquiry report that estimated approximately 330,000 minors suffered abuse by clergy or lay church members in France over seven decades. The trip concludes on Monday in Metz, where the pontiff is scheduled to deliver a major address concerning peace in Europe.
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