Huge Crowds Gather in Paris for Pope Leo Ahead of Mass
- On Friday, Pope Leo XIV began his four-day official visit to France, marking the first such trip by a head of the Vatican in 18 years as he seeks to repair the church's standing following abuse scandals.
- France, a secular nation where the separation of church and state is enshrined in a 1905 law, has witnessed steady decline in Catholic affiliation; yet adult baptisms reached a record 21,000 at Easter.
- Thousands of worshippers cheered Leo at a stadium near Paris on Friday, where he urged world peace and warned against an AI-driven "paradise of machines," calling attendees the "saints of France."
- More than 600,000 people are expected at the Avenue des Champs-Elysees in Paris today for an outdoor Mass led by the pontiff, marking the largest gathering of his weekend visit to France.
- Leo heads to the pilgrimage site of Lourdes on Sunday, where he will meet seven French victims of abuse by clergy, and he plans to discuss peace in Europe while visiting Metz near the German border.
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The vigil of prayer around Léon XIV, at the Stade de France, gave a large place to the show to tell the religious history of France. On BFMTV, the specialist journalist "Religions" of Libération Bernadette Sauvaget judged the staging "a little low-end, a little Puy du Fou". Corentin Stemler, director of La Dame de Pierre, answered him and defended a show capable of inspiring young people and bringing together beyond Catholics.
Huge crowd greets pope with ‘Leo’ chants at France tour’s biggest event
Crowds stretched the length of the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris on Saturday, as Pope Leo urged Catholics to find happiness in faith, not material things, at the biggest event of his visit to France, an outdoor Mass with an estimated 700,000 people. Chants of "Leo, Leo" and "Long live…
Pope Leo set for largest event of France tour as Paris crowds swell - Regional Media News
By Joshua McElwee PARIS, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Throngs of people were gathering on the famed Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris on Saturday, ahead of an outdoor Mass with Pope Leo expected to be the biggest event of his weekend visit to France, with more [...]
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