Hundreds of Thousands in Paris Cheer Pope Leo in Largest Event of French Tour
- On Saturday, September 26, 2026, Pope Leo XIV celebrated an outdoor Mass for an estimated 800,000 people along the Champs-Élysées in Paris, urging Catholics to find happiness in faith rather than material things.
- This visit aims to repair the Catholic Church's standing after abuse scandals caused nationwide shock in France, a secular nation where Catholic affiliation has declined to 25% among 18-to-49-year-olds from 43% a decade earlier.
- During a visit to the Catholic University of Paris, Leo urged the church not to be "naively optimistic" about recent baptism increases. High-profile attendees included Brigitte Macron, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, and billionaire Bernard Arnault.
- Friday remarks at UNESCO warned that multilateral groups face crisis, while Leo cautioned that artificial intelligence could create "a paradise of machines" taking control of Earth, drawing a rebuke from President Donald Trump over his Iran war comments.
- Continuing his four-day tour, Leo travels to Lourdes on Saturday evening to visit a Catholic shrine, where he will meet seven French victims of clergy abuse on Sunday to address the ongoing scandal.
55 Articles
55 Articles
An estimated 800,000 people watched Pope Leo celebrate Mass in Paris before visiting the famous grotto at Lourdes
The giant Mass Place de la Concorde gathered, this Saturday, 800,000 people. The organ point of a papal journey marked by fervor "I find Leon moving. It emerges from him a simplicity a
"The fervor": it was the word that was in all mouths, Saturday, September 26, after the Mass celebrated by Pope Leo XIV. He took off the same evening for Lourdes.
berlingske.dk
The Vatican estimates that about 800,000 people gathered to see Pope Leo celebrate Mass in Paris.
The fair took place at Place de la Concorde, one of the largest squares in Paris. There was also a lot of political prominence among the participants.
leprogres.fr
The open-air Mass on the Place de la Concorde attracted 200,000 more people than expected, according to the Vatican. Leo XIV was greeted with immense fervour on the Champs Elysées.
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