Pope Leo XIV Draws 500,000 to Paris Mass as Crowds Line Champs-Élysées
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Sep 26
Pope Leo XIV Draws 500,000 to Paris Mass as Crowds Line Champs-Élysées
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Sep 26
Summary
Hundreds of thousands packed central Paris on Saturday to greet Pope Leo XIV, with more than 500,000 expected for his open-air Mass at Place de la Concorde.
The pontiff rode down the Champs-Élysées beneath the Arc de Triomphe in his popemobile, blessing babies and drawing chants of “Leo, Leo” before the ceremony.
Earlier Saturday, Leo visited the Maison Bakhita refugee center, urging people to see “those who are invisible” and saying coexistence in dignity and peace is possible.
French politics hovered around the event: Emmanuel Macron skipped the Masses to respect France’s church-state separation, while Brigitte Macron, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu and several 2027 presidential hopefuls attended.
The Paris turnout opens a high-profile four-day France visit that also includes a warning about AI, a Sunday Mass in Lourdes expected to draw 150,000, and a Monday stop in Metz.