Pope Leo Set for Largest Event of France Tour as Paris Crowds Swell
The Vatican said 700,000 attended as the pope urged French Catholics to keep faith despite a steep decline in churchgoing.
- Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass at Place de la Concorde in Paris on Saturday, drawing an estimated 700,000 people, exceeding the 600,000 who registered in advance.
- Organizers faced criticism from secularism supporters for choosing Place de la Concorde, designed in the 18th century as a French Revolution execution site, with critics arguing the Invalides would have been more appropriate.
- Adult baptisms in France have tripled since 2016 to 13,000 this year, though long-term trends show decline; entrepreneur Thierry Chen noted the event reminds people of "what is really important in life."
- During his homily, Pope Leo encouraged French Catholics to persevere in their faith "even amid the thorns" and prayed that the "living water of the Holy Spirit" may flow throughout France.
- Pope Leo will continue his four-day visit by praying at the Catholic shrine at Lourdes after Paris, following his prayer service Friday at the restored Notre Dame Cathedral, the first papal prayer there since its 2019 fire.
231 Articles
231 Articles
Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass in central Paris on the second day of his historic visit to France, attended by around 700,000 people. The crowd stretched more than two kilometers across the French capital, and the pope was greeted with French and Vatican flags as he drove down the Champs-Élysées.
The pontiff was acclaimed by 800,000 people in Paris for his descent from the Champs-Elysées followed by a giant mass.
The religious celebration marked the end of Leo XIV's visit to the French capital, last visited in 2008 by the leader of the Catholic Church – at the time, Pope Benedict XVI
TVA Nouvelles
Le Journal de MontrealPope Leo XIV descended the Champs-Elysées on Saturday under the cheers of an immense crowd of faithful, before celebrating a giant mass.
In his homily, Leo XIV asked the French faithful to build "a renewed nation from its Christian roots"
Algemeen Dagblad
destentor.nlPope Leo XIV held a massive open-air mass on Saturday at the Place de la Concorde in Paris. According to the Vatican, some 700,000 people attended the service.
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